Good morning!
We have nothing to fear but fear itself—and possibly, A.I. in the workplace. (I’m only half kidding.) The point is, recent advancements in A.I. have sparked both awe and anxiety among employees and employers alike as they begin to examine what jobs the technology might soon make obsolete. But some experts say this might be an overreaction.
The panic comes as no surprise. Every week, technology seems to automate another task or fulfill yet another role. According to the CEO of Axel Springer, even my role as a journalist might be at risk. My colleague Paige McGlauflin took a deeper look in her most recent reporting for Fortune and found that the A.I. anxiety is hitting employees at all levels.
Almost 69% of people with graduate degrees expressed fear of losing their jobs to A.I. In comparison, 55% of non-graduate degree respondents reported the same fear, according to a survey by chatbot developer Tidio.
Experts warn against doomsday predictions, however, some predict that the permeation of A.I. will more likely shift how work is done and create new jobs altogether rather than put people out of work. They also put the onus of training employees for the future A.I.-driven workforce on managers. Here’s an excerpt from McGlauflin’s piece:
“While A.I. certainly stands to disrupt the workforce, an occurrence employers worldwide have been bracing for the last decade, some experts disagree that automation will lead to job obsolescence. ‘What we consistently see at the moment is some task replacement and jobs that substantially evolve,’ says Julia Dhar, director and managing partner at Boston Consulting Group, who leads BeSmart, the firm’s behavioral economics and insights initiative. ‘But instead of a complete replacement, you’re seeing a shift in the way labor supply and demand is fulfilled, and so you actually can end up with shortfalls in really key skills and in-demand occupations.’”
Read the full story here.
Amber Burton
amber.burton@fortune.com
@amberbburton
