Which jobs are most under threat from Artificial Intelligence?



Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, Artificial Intelligence has transformed how many workers go about their jobs on a daily basis. AI developments are certainly exciting to many people, but there's also a lot of nervousness out there due to the inevitability that AI-based automation will end up replacing some parts of human work in a lot of fields.



In January 2024, the IMF issued a cautionary report titled, AI will transform the global economy. Let's make sure it benefits humanity. It suggested that 40% of jobs worldwide will be impacted by AI, a figure that could reach 60% in more advanced economies.



Are some of those jobs at risk, then?



Given how effective AI tools are at generating text, it's been widely suggested that jobs involving writing could be among those most at danger. So that means web writers, secretaries, translators, proofreaders and journalists, for example. Whether you're using a simple question or carefully crafted prompt, you can save significant time on tasks like research, writing and translation.



Of course, that does raise concerns about how reliable AI-generated information is. AI tools don't necessarily verify information when asked a question, and are prone to occasional hallucinations, which you'll remember if you listened to our recent episode on AI Slop.



What about creative fields?



Well, as you may know, AI isn't limited to text generation. Tools like MidJourney, DAL-E and Adobe's Firefly can create impressively detailed images from simple descriptions. Adobe has also been integrating AI-driven updates into its professional apps like Photoshop. So graphic designers are seeing their roles shift as well, as even people without technical expertise are able to use such tools.



What about jobs that require human interaction, like teaching?



Well, in reality, teachers were already feeling the impact when AI first gained traction. It can be really tricky establishing whether a student has actually done their assignments on their own, or simply used AI to generate their answers. And yet, AI is becoming increasingly central to education.



Pengchen Shi is an Associate Dean in the Department of Computing and Information Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. Talking to the New York Post in January 2023, he suggested that chatbots can easily teach classes at middle school or high school level. The main issues would be occasional bugs and knowledge inaccuracies which could be easily rectified with further model training.



Well, how true that is remains to be seen. If your job was mentioned in this episode, don't panic just yet. After all, these are only predictions, and AI is also likely to create a whole host of new jobs, as well as making existing ones easier.



Getting back to the IMF report we talked about earlier, it signed off with this more positive outlook: The AI era is upon us, and it is still within our power to ensure it brings prosperity for all. There you have it.



词汇表

inevitability [ɪnˌevɪtəˈbɪləti] 不可避免性，必然性

AI-based automation [ˌeɪˈaɪ beɪst ˌɔːtəˈmeɪʃn] 基于人工智能的自动化

IMF 国际货币基金组织（International Monetary Fund）

advanced economy [ədˈvɑːnst] 发达经济体

proofreader [ˈpruːfriːdə(r)] 校对员，校对者

carefully crafted prompt [ˈkrɑːftɪd prɒmpt] 精心设计的提示语

verify [ˈverɪfaɪ] 核实，查证，确认

be prone to [prəʊn ] 易于，倾向于

hallucination [həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃn] 幻觉（这里指AI生成虚假或错误信息）

AI Slop [slɒp] 人工智能错误信息（指AI生成的低质量、不准确的内容）

graphic designer [ˈɡræfɪk] 平面设计师，美工

technical expertise [ˈteknɪkl ˌekspɜːˈtiːz] 技术专长，专业知识

gain traction [ˈtrækʃn] 获得关注，开始流行，逐渐被接受

bug [bʌɡ] （程序、系统等的）故障，错误

inaccuracy [ɪnˈækjərəsi] 不准确，错误

rectify [ˈrektɪfaɪ] 纠正，矫正，修正

a whole host of 大量，许多

sign off with 以…结束，以…收尾

positive outlook [ˈaʊtlʊk] 积极的展望，乐观的态度

prosperity [prɒˈsperəti] 繁荣，兴旺，成功



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