The Future of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is still new, but its rapid growth is going to change things. This is evident to those in IT.
Self-driving cars are already out there. Alexa can turn off our lights and tell us a bedtime story. A 60 Minutes special recently featured a headpiece created by a MIT MediaLab student that communicates with your brain using its electrical signals. The device provides any information you request, just by thinking - it can even order a pizza.
But is AI going to change things for the better or should we prepare for havoc? It’s still tricky to predict.
What, me worry?
Elon Musk warns that we need to regulate AI to keep us safe. A report by global AI experts warns that terrorists, criminals, and rogue states could use it to do some serious damage through cyber attacks, taking control of drones, weapons and self-driving vehicles. Russian President Putin says that the country leading in AI will rule the world. China is investing in building a $150 billion AI industry by 2030.
Artificial intelligence specialists are also urging governments and companies to increase communication between experts and lawmakers, improve Cyber Security and plan emergency scenarios to keep AI from being misused.
Job Security
Pessimists talk about how AI will make millions of jobs obsolete. A McKinsey report tells us that half of today’s work activities could be automated by 2055, give or take 20 years.
A Gartnerlast year more optimistically predicted that 500,000 more jobs will be created by 2020 from AI than eliminated, resulting in more medium to high-skilled positions. The competition continues to increase for those jobs. This is in contrast with number of people with in-demand skills becomes more and more scarce.
In the best job scenario, AI continues to provide support to humans, empowering them to perform better in complex and critical situations which require judgment and creative thinking. Numerous new roles created that focus on technology and science. They manage AI systems and oversee their security and proper use.
New Skills to Pay the Bills
Careers and industries rapidly evolve through AI. They're learning an entirely new group of skills. The continuous development of skills and adaptability, especially by newer generations, will be essential to anyone who wants to remain relevant in the workplace.
With a lack of highly-skilled, qualified workers to fill the roles created by AI, an innovative education system will also have to be put into place to equip people, offering new types of courses, training programs, and lifelong learning resources.
Throughout history, advances in technology are always feared, but with the negative also comes exciting potential. So what we should do is adapt to change in education, encourage lifelong learning for professionals, and rethink employment models. AI could bring a new era of “prosperity, creativeness, and well-being.” Let’s go with that.