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CNBC published an article on this Monday about a Forrester report on how artificial intelligence will eliminate up to 6% of the jobs we see today by 2021. Those jobs that look to be targeted are in the customer service, trucking, and taxi services.
We’ve seen a large growth in the artificial intelligence realm with intelligent personal assistants like Siri from Apple, Google Now from Alphabet (the holding company of Google.), Cortana from Microsoft, and Alexa from Amazon. Macy’s has been testing the use of artificial intelligence by helping customers locate items in their stores from their mobile phones. Alphabet and Tesla are making strides in making self-driving cars a reality and change the way we move people and goods across our land. Amazon is experimenting with drone delivery.
Automation and the elimination of jobs due to automation isn’t new. Robotics have replaced a lot of assembly line workers and has changed the face of manufacturing. In fact, automation is a key component to the new Adidas factory being built in Cherokee County. You can expect other manufacturers look towards investments in automating their factories as well. Our world is changing and becoming smaller. Remember, the first transcontinental phone call took place only 100 years ago. It’s amazing how far we’ve come in the past century.
Artificial intelligence will, indeed, replace some of the workforce, but imagine the opportunities for new skill sets and industries that may spring forth. Our society is evolving to where well-paying, semi-skilled jobs in manufacturing are now extinct. No matter what a politician tells you, those jobs won’t be back. Some other jobs, like truck driving and package delivery, may be endangered in the coming decades.
This is the time where encouraging kids to tinker with (and break) electronics like the Raspberry Pi, playing with programming languages, and learning about the cool things that we’ll see as technology marches along if they show interest. The best part is that these are things that you don’t have to necessarily do in the classroom and can explore on their own at home.