As we approach the final months of 2023, an increasing number of individuals are recognizing the significance of AI tools and integrating them into their daily lives. Whether it’s content marketers, writers, or corporate professionals with demanding schedules, AI is gradually becoming an integral part of our daily routines. With tools like ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing, we now possess the capability to accomplish tasks that were previously beyond our reach. Many companies are also exploring the development of their own AI chatbots. Nevertheless, a lingering question on people’s minds is whether AI will eventually replace them in their professions.
The debate over this topic has been ongoing, with some individuals believing that AI will indeed impact the job market, while others maintain a more optimistic outlook, contending that it will enhance human performance without entirely replacing human workers. Kunal Shah, the CEO of Cred, aligns with the former viewpoint, expressing concerns that AI poses a significant threat to approximately 90 percent of existing jobs.
In a recent conversation with CNBC-TV18, Shah asserted that there is currently insufficient recognition of the risks associated with AI. He confidently predicted that around 90 percent of current jobs may become obsolete within the next decade. He remarked, “We are not realizing the risk of AI. I can tell you with confidence that 90 percent of people who have jobs right now may not have their jobs relevant 10 years from now.”
While some argue that individuals can safeguard their jobs by acquiring new AI-related skills, Shah presents a counterpoint. He believes that rapid upskilling may prove to be a challenging endeavor for most individuals, unless they possess an insatiable appetite for continuous learning. He stated, “The time to upskill is going to be a real challenge. Unless you are a very curious compounding person, everybody’s job is at risk.”
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, has also weighed in on the topic of AI’s impact on employment. Altman has expressed concerns on multiple occasions about jobs potentially being displaced by AI. In an interview with The Atlantic in July, he emphasized that the effects of AI on humanity won’t be entirely positive. Altman acknowledged that many AI enthusiasts may downplay the idea that AI will replace human jobs, portraying it as a supplement rather than a substitute. However, he argued that this optimistic view might not align with reality.
Furthermore, Altman disclosed that OpenAI could have developed an AI even more powerful than ChatGPT but refrained from doing so due to concerns about the public’s readiness for such advancements. He noted, “We could have pursued the development of a significantly advanced AI in-house for another five years, and we would have achieved something groundbreaking.” However, he cautioned that the public might not have been prepared for the disruptive consequences such a development could have brought about, describing the potential outcome as “unsettling” to contemplate.