The World Economic Forum has estimated that artificial intelligence will replace 85 million jobs by 2025.*
There’s no doubt that automation has improved the efficiency of the workplace. This has been the case since the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of weaving looms and printing presses. But with technology marching forward at ever faster paces, are humans becoming redundant in the workplace?
A recent UK government white paper revealed that AI contributed £3.7 billion to the UK economy in 2022 and Britain is now home to twice as many companies providing AI products and services than any other European country.**
The government has identified AI as one of 5 “critical technologies” to the UK’s Science and Technology Framework, designed to ensure that as a nation we remain among the most innovative economies in the world.
With such focus on artificial intelligence, it is no surprise that there is considerable unease around how it may affect the workforce of the future. But our research suggests that it may not be as drastic as some headlines might suggest.
If you are in a role that may become automated, then you can probably expect a very gradual transition, as trials of robotic assistance take place alongside humans. Success must be proven before such dramatic changes to the workplace are made, otherwise the business could be put at risk.
But certain roles will undoubtedly become automated over time, and certain jobs we see being performed by a person will disappear. However, new roles will appear in the economy, and we have seen this happening with increasing frequency over the last 25 years. Mobile phone companies, web developers, social media agencies, online businesses – none of these existed until relatively recently. 60% of workers today are in jobs that didn’t exist in 1940, and certainly, in the UK we are seeing among the lowest levels of unemployment ever experienced. So, it’s not as bleak an outlook as some predict.
AI can empower you in your role
In the immediate future, our jobs can be enabled and empowered by AI, using tools that incorporate AI technology to make work more efficient, data more accurate and insights more accessible. This is already being seen in industries like logistics and manufacturing, as well as largely online spaces such as marketing and advertising.
The World Economic Forum also predicts that 97 million new jobs in fields ranging from big data and machine learning to information security and digital marketing will be created as a direct result of need relating to the advancement of technology.
At Ennis & Co., we’re constantly researching the automotive market and looking at the future of skills. We have taken a deep dive into some of the job roles that we believe will never be fully taken over by artificial intelligence, and throughout December we’ll be sharing some of what we believe to be “AI-proof” skills in automotive and related businesses.
So, AI probably won’t steal your job…. at least for now!
Join the conversation, we’re interested to hear your thoughts!
**https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-regulation-a-pro-innovation-approach/white-paper
