What will be the impact of artificial intelligence in professions? Will AI steal people's jobs? These are questions that several studies seek to answer with the increasingly recurring adoption of AI systems by companies. Just recently, the International Monetary Fund projected that AI would affect around 40% of jobs globally, not necessarily replace workers, but at least optimize their productivity.
Um new study from MIT CSAIL has a more positive view on the impact of AI on jobs. The study examined the economic feasibility of using AI for automated tasks in the workplace, with a specific emphasis on computer vision. The researchers concluded that only about 23% of paid tasks involving vision are economically viable for automation through AI. In other words, only in a quarter of jobs where vision is key does it make sense to replace human labor with AI.
The research focused on AI computer vision as it is an area that has received significant advances. You iResearchers sought to examine the ability to use AI to automate specific tasks and whether it is economically worthwhile to build a given system. And the experience in computer vision accumulated over the years allows us to give a prediction of what the future may offer in the adoption of language models.
Researchers say development, launch and maintenance costs should come down and the technology industry could transform to offer AI solutions as a service, thereby eliminating the need for substantial capital investment.
For example, if the costs of implementing AI in jobs decrease significantly, this could accelerate the adoption of the technology across sectors, leading to faster changes in the job market. But on the other hand, if AI computing requires expansion, if data becomes difficult to find, and if skilled technicians are few, the high costs could slow the transition, allowing workers and industries more time to adapt. .
BUT: One in three people say Artificial Intelligence will take their job away
There is also talk of another critical aspect, which are platforms that offer AI as a service. These have the potential to expand the use of artificial intelligence and in this case the implications are profound, potentially democratizing access to AI technologies. This aspect would allow small businesses and organizations to benefit from the impact of AI without the need for large resources.
MIT says the study's implications extend beyond immediate economic considerations, touching on broader social impact, such as workforce retention or policy development. And with the automation of certain jobs, there will be an increase in the need for positions focused on managing, maintaining and improving AI systems, as well as other positions in which human needs are irreplaceable by AI.
According to the document, new business models will emerge. And a practical example is given, for example, small goldsmith shops that can benefit from diamond classification tools through the analysis of an image through AI, without the need for a jewelry specialist. Another example given is how Nvidia built an AI high-performance computing platform that allows it to be continuously improved and updated through “over-the-air” systems for the automotive industry. Car manufacturers no longer have to build these capabilities in duplicate, such as cameras or route recognition technologies.
In their conclusion, the researchers state that most studies on the impact of AI on employment focus on the assumption that if work can be automated, then it will be. But MIT's conclusions aim to focus on the costs of implementing these technologies, from installation to maintenance. And he concluded that even if an AI system is “just” as good as a human worker it could have prohibitive adoption costs, compared to labor costs. And in this case, only a small portion of the job market is at risk of automation when compared to what overall estimates of AI exposure suggest.
