A tech expert’s comments on how artificial intelligence may make some jobs redundant have divided the internet, with some going as far as to label him as a ‘villain’.
AI has very quickly weaseled its way into our everyday lives. It’s on our mobile devices, it’s tricking us that the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe trailer is already out, and it’s even powering training apps like Runna and Strava.
Of course, AI has its perks. Googling things has never been easier, and, let’s be honest - who doesn’t love using a CapCut filter to turn their pet pooch into a cute Jellycat equivalent?
However, one professional states that if AI advances any further, it could make a bunch of our jobs cease to exist.
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This idea that the US and UK workforce could soon be taken over was the topic of discussion on the latest episode of The Diary Of A CEO podcast.
The mammoth 2.5 hour episode, titled ‘AI AGENTS EMERGENCY DEBATE: These Jobs Won't Exist In 24 Months! We Must Prepare For What's Coming!’ saw three tech experts sitting down to discuss how AI will develop over the next two years.
One of the guests was Amjad Masad, a tech titan based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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As well as being a former software engineer at Yahoo! and Facebook, Masad has served as the CEO of Replit since April 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Replit is an online platform for creating and sharing software applications and websites which utilises AI ‘to build, collaborate, and deploy apps quickly’.
Speaking about his hopes for the future of AI, Masad told fellow digital experts Bret Weinstein and Daniel Priestley that, with a few more tweaks, the technology will make a slew of jobs ‘redundant’ in the next few years.
When asked by The Diary of a CEO’s host Steven Bartlett what jobs he thinks will be on the chopping block, the businessman said: “I think if your job is as routine as it comes, your job is gone in the next couple of years.
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“Quality assurance jobs; data entry jobs. You’re sitting in front of a computer and you’re supposed to click and type things in a certain order…. Operator and those technologies are coming on the market really quickly and they’re going to displace a lot of labor.”
Accountants, lawyers, and pivotal healthcare roles are also possibly at risk as AI develops, says Masad.
“The healthcare ecosystem is hard to predict because of regulation and there’s so many limiting factors on how this technology can permeate the economy because of regulation… But unregulated jobs that are purely text-in-text out, that job is at risk.”
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Following the experts’ divisive comments, YouTube users have poured into the viral video’s comments section to have their say.
“I would love to see this same panel with a few people who are about to be replaced. Especially if they don't see this coming,” replied one viewer. “I would love to hear what red jacket guy would say to them when they are in the room. Thank you Bret for your empathy.”
A second commented: “I feel like I am listening to the beginning of a sci-fi movie where no one listens to the nerd who warns everybody of what's coming. And bald buddy in red is definitely the villain.”
“These entrepreneurs seem to think it's great that they can create new businesses easily without thinking about the fact that there won't be any customers for these businesses,” someone else replied.
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Another typed: “Really good talk. What scares me is not the loss of jobs, but the lack of empathy from the tech leaders and government officials. You are driving significant portion of people towards not living a healthy and meaningful life. We will all regret not doing something sooner. I hope I am wrong.”
And a fifth praised the podcast, adding: “You should bring these guests back every six months to see the progress of AI and what their predictions have become.”
You can watch and listen to The Diary Of A CEO podcast on YouTube now.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Podcast, Business, YouTube, Social Media
Ella Scott