AI and technological history: Would AI really render humans jobless?
While AI may indeed be way smarter and have proven to be faster, and particularly with the upgrade to GPT-4, I do not think that AI can ever completely annihilate the human workforce. No. I do not see this happening, and I would tell you why.
History of Radio and Human lectors.
Let us look at factory lectors and the advent of radios for instance. At the time when factories made use of human lectors to provide entertainment for workers, the advent of “Radio” must have caused panic in the families and lives of those who were going to be affected. And this is just as it should be. The fear of losing your “normal position” is existent, and cannot be ignored. However, what those lectors who must have lost their jobs didn’t realize was that the radio was only going to be a medium for something else to come.
https://twitter.com/thekitze/status/1635743217432903693?s=46&t=7mPPgyIBYOwnPBRhPeenSw
Look at our world today. And as the video above rightly indicates, with the advent of no-code programming apps and machine learning, we are beginning to see panic like from the lectors of old, while failing to realize that these “innovations” are only, just like the radio did, going to open a new set of windows of opportunities that are presently not available today.
Let us look at the radio again. Before they became, humans had to do the talking and fun stuff “in person” before their audience (workers). But with the radio, humans were still needed to create fun stuff but this time, in the safety of their own workspace. And that wasn’t all. The nature of radio (waves) led to an even broader audience for every human who now worked “with” the radio.
Opportunities that rose from the introduction of radios.
There were several other opportunities that rose after the introduction of radios to the human world.
As a device itself, the need for skilled technicians who could diagnose and repair faults with the radio devices came into demand. Normally, technicians weren’t needed when humans didn’t work, and companies did not have to worry about a broken human not working. But with the radio, a new line of opportunity arose for skilled mechanics who could fix and repair broken radio devices.
More jobs arose as more hands were needed to keep radio stations working. Radio officers, OAPs, scriptwriters, reporters, etc. without the introduction of radios, these career opportunities would never have risen.
We could go on and on about opportunities that the advent of radio brought about. In fact, the radio (waves and) broadcasting industry gave birth to several other industries who now use radio communication for several purposes.
Such include;
- Radar systems and technology,
- - Data communication,
- - Interplanetary communication systems,
- - Engineering (such as petroleum and communications), etc.
Conclusion.
This post doesn’t attempt to invalidate or dispel the possibility that AI could indeed disrupt the present day human work structure. However, like every other technological advancement, the advent of AI and machine learning would in fact open more industries and expose humans to more career opportunities than there presently are.
So as a freelancer who feels threatened by AI replacing you, I’d advise you keep your mind open and be ready to evolve.
