It is evident that A.I. can do quite a lot — mimicking Shakespeare, debugging code; sending emails, reading emails — though it’s not at all clear how far it will go, or what consequences that will bring. When it comes to administrative work, A.I. has already arrived. On Gmail, writers no longer have to compose their own responses, because auto reply generates choices like “yes, that works for me.” A.I. is even promising to take over personal logistics: The A.I. startup Duckbill uses a combination of A.I. and human assistants to knock out rote to-do-list items entirely, from returning purchases to buying a child’s birthday present. It’s nearly impossible to imagine what the labor market will look like as A.I. improves and transforms our workplaces and our economy. But many workers booted from their meaningless jobs by A.I. could find new roles, ones that emerge through the process of automation. It’s an old story: Technology has offset job losses with job creation throughout history. Horse drawn carriages were replaced by cars, which created jobs not just on auto assembly lines but also in car sales and gas stations. Personal computing eliminated some 3.5 million jobs, and then created an enormous industry and spurred many others, none of which could have been fathomed a century ago. #ai #futureofwork #career https://lnkd.in/gMxGynvr
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This amazing article by the The New York Times Emma Goldberg is just amazing. It's the most articulate exposition of something I feel deeply in my soul: if #AI takes our meaningless jobs, aren't we better off? Goldberg reviews David Graeber's exposition of "Bullsh*t Jobs," "jobs that workers themselves find useless, and which produce work that could evaporate tomorrow with no real effect on the world." In a previous role, a member of my department handed out meaningless tasks and called status meetings to status their status. It took me months to realize that person's only job was to task others so they had task outputs to review and summarize. If you fired (or tricked your competitor to hire) this one person, our stock would probably go up six points. Then, during covid, I realized how meaningless the meaningless tasks are; when we stopped doing them, nothing happened! Although these meaningless tasks give someone something to do, maybe if you paid these humans to do nothing all of society would be better! The department wouldn't get tasked and these people could live their passion of opening an artisanal cheese shop (hard[er] to automate away). Goldberg calls this a "species-level identity crisis" and wow do I agree with her. Why do we waste time doing things that provably "don't need to be done" and instead of AI taking our jobs, isn't it freeing our lives from a modern-day version of indentured servitude? I was recently a speaker at an event on AI and was asked if my vision came to pass how would people get paid and what would happen to jobs. I don't know how to pay for it, but like Graeber, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and even Elon Musk, I think this drives society to some form of Universal Basic Income. Perhaps we will take inspiration from Star Trek's Captain Jean-Luc Picard: In the 24th century, "The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity."
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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Will AI replace "meaningless jobs"? This garnered lots of attention after a high profile tech executive made a comment, dismissing the concern that AI would simply replace meaningless jobs and leave the good ones. But this logic has two fallacies. 1) Meaning doesn't come from the inherent tasks in a job: a) If it did, then who would be the arbitrator of meaning? Future generations might say that programming is a job without meaning, much like some people today trivialize people who used type writers. b) While some acts, such as courage and integrity, confer meaning and value, these are fundamentally different than tasks, or features of a job, which are inherently neutral. 2) Jobs are distributions of tasks, and these change in response to a variety of technological, social, political, and economic forces. a) Even what seems like a "good job" can change radically over time. Economists used to do a lot more linear algebra than they do today automatically using statistical software, for instance! b) Industrial policy and management substantially shape how we perform our tasks, which is obvious. Some of us love our "managers" - whatever that might mean - and some of us do not! The debate about AI and the labor market is much, much more complicated than meets the eye. #ai #labormarket #economics https://lnkd.in/eShaJhkF
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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The attached article covers a lot of ground, really well. (Not a quick read ;-) I like how it starts by talking about how many meaningless jobs there are. I've been asking myself why we keep doing a lot of what we do for a while now. This article touches lightly on some of the reasons why in addition to a thoughtful discussion on the kinds of jobs we'll lose. The answer to the question posed in the title is "yes". The next question is :"How many and how fast?" Probably too many and too fast for a smooth transition given what feels like a perfect storm of need and opportunity for AI to have it's long awaited impact. Long awaited at least by those of us who read Issac Asimov or William Gibson as kids and lived through the early 90's when AI made it's first headlines and promises. From my perspective it feels like we've reached "peak global employment" and while there will be winners, losers and lots of shuffling of where those are (geography and sector) the number of chairs (jobs) in the game is going down while the number of players (job seekers) in many countries is high and/or growing. The sooner we figure out how to deal with the growing number of workers that will be displaced from roles that don't translate well in the "brave new world" or at points in their careers where it's too late for them to get back in the game, the better off we will all be. https://lnkd.in/gC6jkjFa #AI #FutureOfWork #JobMarket #Automation #EmploymentTrends
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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As we all know, AI is automating many tasks while also creating new opportunities that require different skill sets. Even if you're not one of the "flunkies, goons or box tickers" described in the article, AI is already affecting your job (or the way somebody is thinking about your job). People just like Brad in this New York Times piece are proactively gaining knowledge to successfully navigate the future of work, earning credentials like Pearson's IT Specialist Certification https://lnkd.in/g-2sGZk8. https://lnkd.in/gr_6T5Ba
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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This article challenges the importance of an Executive Assistant's role, suggesting that AI could easily replace us. The author labels us as mere "flunkies" and seems to imply that we spend our days only writing emails. Please feel free to put a bot in my shoes for a week and let me know how it goes. [Read more here:](https://lnkd.in/eUdKcnCW)
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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⛓️💥Breaking the bullshit-job cycle: How AI could usher in a job satisfaction revolution… AI is poised to replace many routine, repetitive or simply useless jobs, often labeled as "bullshit jobs." This shift could allow people to focus on more fulfilling and creative work, potentially increasing job satisfaction. While some fear the loss of jobs, the transition could lead to a restructuring of the workforce, emphasizing roles that require human empathy and creativity. This might improve overall well-being and productivity in the long run… right? 🗞️ Food for thought from by Emma Goldberg in today’s #NewYorkTimes: https://lnkd.in/eJ8zXQSn #AI #automation #jobs #futureOfWork #technology #creativity #employment #workforce #jobSatisfaction #innovation #robotics #AIimpact #economicChange #careerDevelopment #newOpportunities #humanTouch #skillDevelopment #workplaceEvolution #jobSecurity #fulfillment 🤖 coCreated by gpt-4
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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The New York Times discuss the rise of AI in automating jobs, leading to concerns about job displacement across industries. As #AI continues to replace routine tasks, there's an increasing demand for workers with new, specialized skills. Upwork can help businesses and workers navigate this transition by offering access to a global talent pool skilled in AI and #technology, allowing companies to adapt more quickly while providing workers with opportunities to #reskill and find new roles in the evolving job market.
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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Very interesting and well-written article by Emma Goldberg of The New York Times. Before we start using AI to perform jobs or tasks at organizations, we need to start weeding out the unnecessary and irrelevant work that is being performed by employees today. And where did this notion that employees have to work 40 hours to earn their pay? Several decades ago, many economists had forecasted that given the levels of automation, we will not need to work so many hours to earn our pay. That has not been achieved. Perhaps now is the time to look at this contrarian view at organizxations. That you don't need employees to have to work 40 hours to pay them their full wages. Pay them on what they produce. Artificial intelligence will take away the grunt work but hopefully also drive that need more human intelligence.
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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“It’s demoralizing to realize that your job can be replaced by technology. It can bring the pointlessness into sharp relief. And it can also nudge people to ask what they want out of work and seek out new, more exhilarating pursuits.” As #AI moves from replacing tasks to automating workflows to replacing jobs, we will face many personal, societal, and moral question on the nature of work and the role it plays in our lives. Meaningless, after all, “is in the eye of the worker.” https://lnkd.in/em9n9h3u
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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The rise of AI in the workplace could eliminate many meaningless jobs, which workers often find psychologically degrading. AI has the potential to automate roles that involve repetitive and mundane tasks, freeing up employees to seek more fulfilling pursuits. However, this shift might also lead to job displacement and lower wages for many. Despite the challenges, AI could prompt a broader reflection on the purpose and value of work. I thought this was an insightful and thought-provoking read. #HR #HumanResources #AI #FutureOfWork #JobAutomation #MeaningfulWork
Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
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