
Opinion
I have been reading a trove of clickbait articles lately claiming that everyone is going to lose their jobs due to the AI revolution. It now appears that not even creative or white collar jobs are safe. While I agree that these jobs will most certainly change, in my experience (and lessons from history), they change for the better. Not only do you not need to fear these changes, you should look at this as an opportunity to drastically improve your current life or career.
AI is not creative
"Leathery sheets of rain lashed at Harry’s ghost as he walked across the grounds toward the castle. Ron was standing there and doing a kind of frenzied tap dance. He saw Harry and immediately began to eat Hermione’s family. Ron’s Ron shirt was just as bad as Ron himself." -Excerpt from an AI generated Harry Potter chapter (a highly recommended read)
The more I learn about AI, the more amazed I am with the human brain. You can show a child four pictures of cats and dogs, and they will be able to tell you with 100% accuracy the fifth picture (even if it’s an abstract drawing). You would have to show a computer over 10,000 cat and dog pictures to even get 90% accuracy. You can forget about showing it anything abstract. Of course you could then train a model on thousands of abstract cats, but then it really isn’t abstract anymore. AI has a very hard time thinking outside of it’s box.

I commonly read about how AI will soon take over creative roles as well as traditional jobs. After all, "AI can now write Shakespeare." I honestly wonder if these bloggers have read AI-generated poetry or stories. In my experience, it takes a lot of reading to find a single cherry-picked example that isn’t more than a comical – barely coherent – combination of Shakespearean words.
Don’t get me wrong, these advances are truly impressive! They also demonstrate a high level of creativity (from the modeler that is). Even so, I’m fairly certain I’ll still be reading human poetry in the latter years of my life.
AI opens the door for creativity
"Creativity is part of human nature. It can only be untaught. – Ai Weiwei"
Much of my career has been focused around AI and automating manual processes. I am yet to kill one single job! I’m pretty sure I’ve actually created a few jobs. What are these people doing now that I’ve automated what they were previously spending their time on? Creativity!
According to a study from the McKinsey Global Institute, at least one third of the time spent on the majority of jobs consist of work that can be automated. AI can free you from these tedious tasks! Here are some examples:
- When a business doesn’t have to focus on order amounts and managing warehouse costs, it opens up time for developing new products and growing the business.
- When an analyst doesn’t have to spend most of their week manually juggling data in an excel sheet, they now have time to dig deep and discover the "whys" behind the trends.
- When an AI recommender can filter thousands of possible clients down to the 10 best fits for a product, a sales team can now avoid the noise and focus on winning those clients.
These jobs were not automated away, they were freed from the tedious parts. All of these examples enhance the value of human creativity, which in turn justifies hiring even more value-adding creative humans.
Some jobs will "shift"
"Your children’s future jobs likely do not even exist yet. Your grandchildren will marvel at the awful jobs you had to endure."
Once upon a time, most of the world’s population were farmers. Then came the industrial revolution. Farming practices became more efficient, we invented technologies like refrigeration, and slowly we shifted until very few farmers create far more food. So why don’t we have over 90% unemployment? Because over time, better jobs were created (and farming jobs improved). People were enticed to switch to these new jobs because of the higher pay. Gradually, everyone made the transition. And thank goodness! I would make a miserable farmer.
A very similar process happened with the computer and internet revolutions. Some jobs changed, most were enhanced, new fields opened up, and everyone’s lives got better with the changes. The same will happen with the AI revolution. It is an exciting time. Your children’s future jobs likely do not even exist yet. Your grandchildren will marvel at the awful jobs you had to endure.
So how might this shift look? To give a concrete example, I would predict the truck driving industry shifting towards Automation in my lifetime. While I would be nervous to enter the field right now, I wouldn’t be too worried if I were already established. These changes take years and will require your help. In helping, you will likely gain new skillsets that will transition to better jobs (remotely managing fleets, fueling logistics, etc). And if you prefer life on the road, there will still be jobs on more technical routes though mountain passes, construction areas, or new routes. Younger workers will largely avoid the field due to "the writing on the wall." As automation starts to happen, experienced truck drivers will likely see much higher wages due to the scarcity of people with experience and the long process of accomplishing this monumental task. In my consulting practice, I see a huge demand for skills with "obsolete" technologies because they still have value but no one new is learning them. Maybe it is a good time to enter this field after all.
I realize that these transitions are not always as smooth as I describe. The industrial revolution sure had its hiccups. My point is that the transition is always much smoother than the alarmist writers say it will be. The computer and internet revolutions were equally disruptive to the market. Many companies failed to make the transition. But where one company failed, many others were created. For the individual worker, life and jobs got much better despite the fact that computers drastically reduced manual processes done at the time.
If you want to work and are willing to learn, there will be a job for you. It may not have the same job title or be at the same company, but it will be better than what you are doing right now.
Don’t be complacent
"Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road." – Stewart Brand
While I feel AI should be welcomed with optimism, it is still important to study how it will affect your industry. Those who tried to continue farming the old way probably struggled. Those who resisted the computer and internet waves are now out of business.
Here are ways to protect yourself during this transition:
- Learn about AI, even if its just a basic knowledge on how it is being applied now.
- Ponder ways that it could transform your field. Become instrumental in those changes.
- Find ways to better leverage your Creativity.
- Continue developing your skills. This was vital before AI but is even more important now. Remember that colleges are typically 5+ years behind the cutting edge so consider supplementing your education with alternate sources.
Do these things, and you will emerge from this much better off than you are now. Master them, and enjoy leaping into a different income/flexibility bracket altogether. You do not need to be a data scientist, your domain knowledge will be invaluable. These "revolutions" do not happen that often, and are great opportunities for upward mobility. Do not squander this opportunity!
About me
I am a Senior Data Scientist and part-time freelancer with over 10 years of experience. I am always looking to connect so please feel free to:
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