While organizations are adopting AI to automate tasks and boost productivity, many are letting go of their employees and slowly replacing them with generative AI tools and LLMs. McKinsey predicts that generative AI could automate up to 50% of job activities by around 2045. This indicates that the nature of work is set to shift dramatically, creating challenges like underemployment, lower job quality, and even job displacement.
Consider the SaaS industry: Product managers and designers can be easily replaced by research and planning tools that can draw wireframes, conduct competitor research, ideate designs and work seamlessly with developers to come up with finished products. Developers are also on the verge of losing their jobs to AI. The same applies to marketers, where entire strategies and marketing operations can be performed by AI tools. Even support team personnel will find it hard to sustain, as AI will take care of L1 to L3 support—and in some cases, even complicated solutioning.
Even though we hear that AI is meant to compliment our work, there is a constant fear: What if AI actually takes away jobs? The number of jobs being lost due to AI is much higher than the ones that are created by it. AI models are replacing repetitive roles that do not require cognitive skills.
Even if your role involves critical thinking, you will have to become AI-literate, whether you work in design, development, marketing, or sales. Agentic AI is no longer just a buzzword; its facilitating autonomous actions with minimal human interventions, thus reducing the need for human resources at the workplace.
If you are thinking that this sounds alarmist, the next section goes deeper into this shift and its potential consequences.
Disclaimer: Proceed with caution
Imagine logging into your workstation only to find routine tasks vanishing before your eyes. As an IT professional, you're witnessing automation reshape the sector, replacing manual jobs at an unprecedented pace. Globally, automation has already displaced 2.1 million jobs while creating 1.6 million new ones in tech and data.
Take manual software testing, for instance: you once spent hours debugging code and running repetitive scripts. Now, AI tools like automated testing frameworks handle these with precision, slashing demand for such roles.
Future of Jobs report predicts a net decline of entry level and data entry jobs that require repetitive manual tasks.
Routine IT support, such as troubleshooting basic network issues, is also automated via chatbots and self-healing systems.
Yet, this shift isn't just loss; jobs may be displaced by 2025, but opportunities arise in AI oversight and cybersecurity.
What should you do to survive this AI storm?
The only way to stay competitive in the face of AI is through continuous learning. By sharpening your skillset in machine learning frameworks, automation platforms, and cybersecurity protocols, you adapt to roles AI can't fully replace. Exploring AI ethics and data analytics sharpens your ability to oversee intelligent systems, ensuring they align with human goals.
You can thrive by upskilling in emerging technologies, turning potential stagnation into advancement. The future is automated; are you ready to evolve?
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