By now, many Americans have heard the term “artificial intelligence” (AI), but not many know exactly what it is or the impacts of it. Artificial Intelligence refers to a computer having the capability to solve a problem without a human having to hard code the solution. In current AI implementations, computers achieve this through the analysis of huge amounts of data in which it finds trends, and therefore, it can make future “decisions” utilizing the trends from previous data. For many tech companies, the ultimate goal is to create general artificial intelligence which could learn, understand, and solve any problem just as a human. From most estimates, we are anywhere from 30 to 70 years from that goal coming into fruition. Despite all the dystopian, end-of-the-world fears, one of the major realistic concerns behind AI is future job opportunities.
If a computer can do a job better than a human, then what is the need of the human? Expert economists believe either job creation will remain in deficit for the short run, or due to the increased savings created through AI, the money will be reinvested into the economy creating more jobs and opportunities in order to cancel the job deficit. If history provides any prediction of the future, AI will replace humans in many jobs during the short run, but the hope lies in the fact that companies will reinvest the money into the economy which would open up more jobs in the long run. However, the new jobs created will most likely demand greater technical skill and may only be located in certain major cities. For rural areas, the major job opportunities will be in manual labor type jobs. Ultimately, jobs will exist but they may not be what people want or where people want them.
Of course, this result assumes the development of AI is left unchecked, and society does not express their opinion on the matter. AI has the potential to become a major force for good, and allow us to reallocate resources to pressing issues such as food or water insecurity, underdeveloped medical care, or sustainability. The concept as a whole has many negative connotations due to the unforeseen future consequences and dystopian sci-fi renditions, but one cannot deny the potential benefits AI presents. The amount of money AI has the potential to save businesses is astronomical, and the saved money could be invested or used in a plethora of different ways to better the world. The reallocated money could be invested into industries of interest so that more jobs will exist. Just as any technology, AI will bring unintended consequences, but we should instead gain insight into the growing world of AI so that we may voice our opinion and mold our future world into one where we enjoy life.
Both critics and advocates of AI tend to hold extreme positions. People believe it will either be the best invention ever, or it will destroy the world. At the end of the day AI is just another tool for us to use, but how the tool is implemented and on what scale is up to us. In the future, we could live in a world where only low paying manual labor jobs exist, or we could live in a world where AI automates most menial tasks freeing up human thought power to invest in each individual’s passion. Either way the idea of opportunity should motivate every citizen to at least develop an opinion, and share it so that the future may be a place of abundant happiness.