Overview of the Advances in AI and the Workforce
Discuss about the Institute Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
Modern information technologies and the rise of machinery that is powered by artificial intelligence have immensely affected the work environment in this twenty-first century (Mondalizadeh, 2014). Different software, algorithms, and computers make work much easier in this day and age. However, despite the significant impacts that have been brought about by these technologies, human force is still required to manage the different processes that they involve in operations. By comparing the past to the future, it is easy to wonder how the work environment will look like in the future and the time it will take to achieve the different developments that will occur (Lisetchi and Brancu, 2014). One also wonders whether social distortions, mass poverty, and unemployment will characterize the world in the future since the majority of tasks will be carried out by machines and robots while people spend minimal time earning their livelihood (Whelan and Msefer, 2006).
Apart from people who work in various companies, the education system is also facing many challenges that are caused by the rapidly changing and advancing technology. The digitalization of the labor market has dramatically impacted employment and labor laws, competition, product liability, information technology, and intellectual property (Stark, 2018). This paper looks at the impacts of the advancement of technology in the workforce to determine if it will be positive or negative. Additionally, it looks at the trends of the technological progress and how they will affect different fields in Australia.
Artificial intelligence refers to machine work processes that would require human beings to use knowledge for them to perform those tasks. The creation of artificially intelligent machines thus involves the investigation of problem-solving behavior that is intelligent and then the creation of computer systems with that knowledge (Wisskirchen et al., 2017). Five significant fields of artificial intelligence show the trends in the area.
First, there is dematerialization. This is the form of artificial intelligence that enables automatic data processing and recording. It makes use of software that records autonomous information and provides it to the right employee (West, 2015). This technology has led to the replacement of traditional products with software. Incidentally, DVDs and CDs that were used traditionally have now been replaced by services that stream different activities. There has also been the replacement of travel tickets and event tickets by smartphone payments and the use of cards. With the emergence of cryptocurrencies, it is expected that hard cash will also be replaced in the future by other technological forms of payment.
Five Significant Fields of Artificial Intelligence
Second, there is autonomous driving. This technology involves the creation of self-governance vehicles that make use of sensors to navigate themselves without any need for human input. In the future, it is very likely that this technology will cause truck and taxi drivers to become obsolete (Price, 2018). Apart from autonomous driving, another form of technology that works on the same principles is the use of drones. They are used in the delivery of products or in the video and photography industry. In future, it is likely that this technology may render professional photographers, postal carriers, and stock managers jobless (Price, 2018).
Third, there is gig economy which is the form of artificial intelligence that enables people to join networking platforms where they can work independently. It occurs on two forms namely work on demand through apps and crowd working. Today, the number of independent contractors has risen highly where many employees are performing jobs for different companies and clients by advertising themselves on online platforms.
Fourth, there is robotization which involves the replacement of employees with robots. They are used because their work is more precise and saves more costs. This technology has been taking place since the 19th century where robots replaced humans in the mass production of different products. Human workers will become replaced by the robots even in the creative space such as in 3D printing jobs (West, 2015).
Finally, there is deep learning. This form of artificial intelligence involves the use of algorithms to model data abstractions that are high level. These machines work throughout unlike humans who take breaks thus increasing the productivity of the companies and identifying opportunities that may have otherwise gone unnoticed (Price, 2018). This technology is efficient because in case one of the machines makes a mistake at any given time, the other machines can identify that mistake and avoid it in the future. Studies have shown that machines that are intelligent are much better than every human expert. One filed that has made use of deep learning is the field of finance (Price, 2018). The majority of large financial institutions today make use of deep learning, especially in trading activities. This enables them to identify opportunities in a matter of nano-seconds which consequently helps them make massive profits over the long term.
The use of robotics and machine intelligence in the workforce will have a variety of positive impacts. This technological advancement will lead to increased savings in labor costs and the overall cost of production in the industrial industry primarily in the western countries that are characterized by high labor requirements (Skyhatch, 2018). In the German automotive industry, the cost incurred in one hour of production is €40. However, with the use of robots, the costs go down to €8 and €5 (Price, 2018). Through comparison with other statistics, this shows that the expenses incurred with the use of robots are much lower than the cost incurred in China which provides the cheapest labor. Robots are also advantageous in that they will not require leaves, go on strike, or fall sick.
Positive Impacts of AI on the Workforce
Another advantage brought about by machine learning, and robotics is that external factors do not influence them. This means that they are very reliable and can also work in areas that are identified as being dangerous. Additionally, they have higher accuracy than humans, and their work can be better synchronized and standardized (Katzenbach, 2000). They also make a decision based on the facts that they have instead of using emotions. The increase in productivity brought about by artificial intelligence is beneficial to all people but mainly to the business owners.
Employees benefit in that hard and manual work as well as the robots do the monotonous and repetitive tasks. This hence provides employees with free time that they can use for creative and recreational activities. Finally, the machines have helped in saving lives. Robots are used in medical diagnostics, and bomb diffusion and their accuracy levels are very high.
However, these machines will lead to high rates of unemployment for many people across the world. They will require very few employees and millions of people will be left without a source of livelihood (Robin, 2018). There are also many people across the world who lack the technical skills required to thrive in the automation. It is hence evident that AI and machine learning has more adverse impacts than positive effects and it may lead to widespread social distortions, mass poverty, and unemployment. However, according to Lacalle (2017), the technological innovation that has occurred over the past three decades is exponential, but this has instead led to increased jobs and improved salaries. He cites Germany as an example saying that despite its increased in high levels of ‘robotization’ and ‘technification,’ the country has a 2.6% rate of unemployment which is an all-time low. Nevertheless, the majority of scholars and researchers have said that employment rates will go down.
Three professionals that may become adversely affected by artificial intelligence by the year 2060 include taxi drivers, teachers, and supervisors.
Males in the 1970s dominated the taxi driving business in Australia. This trend continued over decades, and in 1996, the males were still dominant, and they accounted for 92% of the industry. In 2006, more female drivers joined the industry, and at the time the male drivers accounted for 94% of the workforce (SBS, 2018). Queensland was identified as having the most taxi drivers who were aged sixty years and older. During that year (1996), the people who were aged 60 and above represented 11% of the industry and this increased to 24% in 2006 (SBS, 2018). Between 1996 and 2006, the proportion of young people in the industry reduced from 11% to 10% (SBS, 2018). One significant trend that has been observed in the taxi business to date is that the age profile of the workforce in the taxi industry is becoming older.
Negative Impacts of AI on the Workforce
Nevertheless, the number of taxi drivers in Victoria aged below thirty years has increased from 11% to 20%. The number of taxi drivers who were born in Australia has reduced from 56% in 1996 to 38% in 2006. The majority of taxi drivers in Australia are taxi drivers with 6925 workers (SBS, 2018).
With the emergence of automated driving, this sector is likely to become adversely affected. The majority of people who will be affected negatively are the people aged above fifty who make up a large part of the workforce in this sector. This is mainly because most of them cannot be able to learn any new skills to keep up with the world changes. This means that there will be a significant decline in taxi drivers in Australia and they may even become obsolete.
Since the 1970s, teacher education has been undergoing major federal reviews with complaints of poor training of teachers in the nation (Australian Social Trends, 2003). Within the last two decades, there has been an intense interest in the work done by teachers as well as teachers’ education (Australian Social Trends, 2003). In 2006, the massive interest in teacher education programs in Australia was caused by different factors such as the predicted shortage in teacher supply, globalization, changes in technology, and reforms in the schools’ literature. In the 1980s teaching was referred to as a calling and teaching methods were significantly taken into consideration (Aspland, 2016). In the 1990s teachers mainly taught concepts theoretically. At this time secondary and tertiary education were identified as being more important than primary education (SBS, 2018). In the 2000s, teachers targeted to increase professionalization of the workforce by instilling these skills in their students. Today, there are more innovative teaching activities that are taking place as opposed to the standardized teaching methods that existed in the eighties and nineties. Additionally, many teaching programs have been invented where teachers directly supervise students as they learn to use computers (Aspland, 2016).
The roles of the teachers are hence starting to decline due to technological advancements slowly, and they are merely acting as guides to the students as opposed to teaching them. In 2060, the number of teachers will reduce dramatically with the majority of schools adopting the use of computers in the learning process. This will negatively affect teachers since the majority of them will lose their jobs and others will be employees as supervisors to the students and this may even lead to reduced salaries.
Adverse Impacts on Professional Fields: Taxi Drivers, Teachers, and Supervisors
Doctors play a significant role in delivering health care in Australia. Over the years, statistics have shown that the presence of highly trained medical professionals has increased both the economic and social well-being of citizens. One significant trend that has been observed in Australia is that the medical profession has been growing faster than the nation’s population (Australian Social Trends, 2013). Nevertheless, there has been a high demand for healthcare in the country mainly with the aging people. Between 1970 and 2001, the total number of doctors in Australia doubled from one hundred and twenty-two doctors to two hundred and forty-eight doctors per every one hundred thousand people (OECD, 2017). The doctors in 2001 are shown in the table below.
According to the census of population and housing, there were 70,200 doctors in Australia in 2011. The number of doctors in 2011 increased by 22,300 from 2001 as depicted in the table below (OECD, 2017).
Since the 1970s there have been more male than female doctors in Australia. In 1986, approximately a quarter of the nation’s doctors were women while the rest were men (Australian Social Trends, 2013). In 2011, surgeons were pre-dominantly male at 94%. However, specific fields have had a higher number of male practitioners than female (Australian Social Trends, 2013). These include obstetricians, pediatricians, pathologists, and endocrinologists. The proportion of females has increased today, and younger female doctors are more than their male counterparts as shown in the figure below (OECD, 2017).
In the year 2060, it is expected that the total number of doctors working in Australia will reduce considerably. This will be caused by the prevalence of robots that can perform the tasks carried out by doctors even more precisely and efficiently. It is likely that the doctors will not become obsolete. However, it is expected that many doctors will lose their jobs since only a few individuals will be required to operate in the field.
Conclusion
It is evident that artificial intelligence and new generation robotics have both favorable and adverse effects on the workforce in Australia. This, therefore, has different implications for both employees and company leaders and managers. Employees need to find ways in which they can keep up with these technological changes. One significant way that all employees should embrace is life-long learning. This is crucial because it will enable them to identify the different trends in the field of technology and hence keep up with the changes. By so doing, employees will be able to work in various IT fields as opposed to working in areas that could be rendered obsolete by the new innovative technologies.
Employees can also become inventors in the IT field. By learning continually, they will be able to identify new opportunities that may arise in the technology field, and they can hence become inventors of the latest technologies. Additionally, they should make use of big data to identify opportunities that exist in the marketplace. Data analytics has become a crucial field, and it will enable employees to identify different opportunities by identifying different trends in the market. Finally, they can become independent contractors by taking advantage of the gig economy. This will ensure that they are not laid off, and they will be in a position to work in areas that interest them and provide them with a source of livelihood.
On the other hand, leaders need to inform their employees of the changes that are taking place in the technology field to ensure that they are well equipped to implement these changes in their activities. It is also crucial for leaders especially in the human resource department to provide their employees with training and development activities to educate them on how new technologies can be incorporated into the company to increase efficiency and effectiveness (Kramar et al., 2014). Leaders also need to assist employees to improve their emotional intelligence because it is very crucial and machines may be lacking in specific areas when it comes to emotional intelligence. Finally, it is vital for leaders to be open to their employees about any disruptions that may occur in the workplace due to artificial intelligence and robotics (Kramar et al., 2014).
Therefore, both leaders and employees in various organizations have the duty of learning continually about the advancements in technology to ensure that technology does not overtake them. This will increase productivity and ensure that people do not lose their livelihoods.
References
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