Claire has worked as a PR at a major consulting firm, based in London, For six years, Claire was a PR at a large London consulting firm. In the past six months, the 34-year-old has started to worry about her career. Why? AI.
“I don’t think the quality of my work could be matched by a machine just yet,” says Claire, whose last name is being suppressed to preserve her job. “But I’m amazed at how quickly ChatGPT has become so sophisticated. In a few years, a bot could do my work better than me. I fear for my job prospects.”
AI is feared to take jobs. Can we overcome our fears?
As headlines about robots taking human jobs have proliferated and generative AI tools like ChatGPT have quickly become more accessible, some workers report feeling anxious about their futures and whether their skills will be relevant to the labor market.
Goldman Sachs reported in March that AI might replace 300 million full-time employment. In PwC’s annual global workforce survey last year, nearly a third of respondents were concerned about their job being automated in three years.
“I think a lot of creatives are concerned,” admits Bristol copywriter Alys Marshall, 29. “We’re all hoping that our clients will recognize [our] value and choose the authenticity of [a human] over the price and convenience of AI tools.”
Career counselors and HR professionals advise employees to focus on what they can manage despite some discomfort. Instead of worrying about being replaced by machines, they should learn to cooperate with them. Add the expertise to make themselves more valuable to possible employers and feel less apprehensive.
Unknown fears
Some people think generative AI tools came on quick and furious. OpenAI’s ChatGPT went viral overnight, and the “AI arms race” is intensifying, leaving workers apprehensive.
Career coach and Columbia University lecturer Carolyn Montrose admits that technological change can be unsettling. “Because AI is evolving and there are many unknown application factors, it is normal to feel anxiety about its impact,” she explains.
She thinks workers don’t have to suffer existential dread despite the new technology’s unsettling effects. “Choose to feel anxious about AI, or empowered to learn about it and use it to their advantage,” people may decide how much they worry.
Scott Likens, a PwC trust and technology expert, agrees. Technology has proved that it can automate or streamline labor operations. He thinks that with the correct abilities, people may progress alongside these advancements. Employees must embrace AI to reduce anxiety about its rapid deployment. Employees need education and training to understand about AI and how it can benefit their job and gain new abilities. AI should be embraced and educated by employees.
“This isn’t the first time we have encountered industry disruptions – from automation and manufacturing to e-commerce and retail – we have found ways to adapt,” Likens said. Indeed, new technology has often proven unsettling for individuals, but Montrose argues technological change has always been essential to society’s progress.
Montrose says AI technology will remain regardless of public opinion. Positive thinking can assist. “Anxiety will hurt people more than the AI,” she warns.
This isn’t the first time we have encountered industry disruptions – from automation and manufacturing to e-commerce and retail – we have found ways to adapt – Scott Likens
Humans’ uniqueness
Some anxiousness is normal, but specialists advise not panicking. Recent research suggests robots replacing humans may be exaggerated.
In November 2022, Brigham Young University sociology professor Eric Dahlin found that robots are not replacing human labor at the rate most people think, and some people misperceive the rate at which automation technologies are taking over. His research showed 14% of workers were replaced by robots. Both those who had been displaced by technology and those who hadn’t overestimated the trend’s pace and volume.
We exaggerate robots taking over. Dahlin reported that individuals who had lost jobs overestimated by three times and those who hadn’t by twice. “Just because a technology can be used for something does not mean that it will be implemented,” Dahlin added.
Stefanie Coleman, a principal at EY’s people advisory services group, adds that the future workforce won’t be “binary”. Thus, humans and robots must constantly coexist.
Humans will always do vital commercial tasks that robots cannot. She thinks that relationship building, creativity, and emotional intelligence are needed for this type of work. “Recognizing the unique value of humans in the workforce, compared to machines, is important in navigating the fears that surround this topic.”
Claire, the PR worker, decided a few weeks ago to learn more about the technologies altering her industry. She’s researching online coding classes. “A lot of tech used to scare me, so I just ignored it,” she says. “Ignoring something definitely won’t make it go away, and I’m slowly starting to understand that if I take the time to make it less unfamiliar—which makes it less scary—it might actually help me a lot.”