Will AI Create or Diminish Future Work Opportunities?

Take, for example, the idea of a qualification such as an online MBA. For those who are looking to integrate AI into all facets of the workplace, what skills will be necessary for graduates to survive in this increasingly tech-dependent workforce? In this piece, we’ll explore that rapidly evolving and emerging world of AI, discover some of the ways it may transform our lives for the better, and then finally, explore the untested waters of AI legislation, and how lawmakers are in a race against time to secure the safety of the Internet.

The Rapid Emergence of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a concept has been around for many years. Early pioneers such as IBM’s Watson took advantage of fields such as natural language processing to develop models that would outsmart human competitors - not making itself a Jeopardy! Champion, but also bringing forward the notion that AI could be used to complete seemingly complex tasks.

In the decade since Watson’s Jeopardy win, companies have sought to create increasingly complex models to outsmart even the most clever of players. In the years since, many AI companies sought to streamline existing models (such as grandmaster-defeating chess models) while taking on ever more complex games.

The result, ultimately, was inevitable. Companies such as Google DeepMind began to innovate increasingly powerful AI models that eventually would be able to master the nuances of ancient games, such as the powerful neural network AlphaGo.

These developments in neural networks and natural language processors both highlighted the many varied fields that make up artificial intelligence. In recent months, the most significant developments in AI have been the development of large language models (LLMs), and generative pre-transformers. Using billions of variables, these models look to harness the power of the internet to provide data in a way that seems human, however, still require verification to validate that outputs are meaningful and useful.

Will AI Take Our Jobs?

Taking AI at face value, it would seem that this innovative technology can replace jobs. After all - if a computer could do all the jobs a human could do, what more could a manager want?

Unfortunately, generative AI holds promise, but also challenges. Generative AI is great at making content that at the surface level appears coherent - however, introducing any technical complexity results in an effect known as hallucination, where the result will be incoherent and of poor quality.

For example, let’s look at the case of the lawyers who thought it was wise to use ChatGPT to create a legal brief. While it may have seemed coherent in an initial read, upon scrutiny, it was discovered that the case citations were fictitious - the cases simply didn’t exist. For the lawyers caught, this meant a $5,000 fine and constant embarrassment - but for users of generative AI, it highlighted just how flawed some of the technology can be.

AI holds a great deal of promise. In some fields, it may be beneficial as a tool to augment human operators - take, for example, the idea of a personal scribe who can transcribe meeting notes while you work may be incredibly useful.

In particular, banks such as Westpac have discovered that significant efficiencies can be gained with using AI tools as an assistive resource, rather than a replacement for all activities. One such pilot from 2023 found that AI models boosted the operational efficiency of software engineers by as much as 46%, demonstrating just how powerful these models can be as an augmentative tool.

The Race to Legislate Responsible AI Usage

AI is also facing a new challenge - lack of regulation is resulting in the development of content that can be challenging, no matter whether you’re a politician or a pop star. Recent developments in AI-generated deepfakes have resulted in attempted interference in at least one election, with a lack of legislation allowing for the rapid proliferation of fake and misleading content.

The underlying data that is used to power generative AI models is also coming under fire. Many organisations, including the New York Times, are undertaking legal action against AI models for scraping large volumes of copyrighted content for use in generating AI models. The result of this lawsuit will undoubtedly set a precedent for how copyrighted work is used within generative AI.

While AI can certainly bring innovation and new ideas to the workplace, it’s evident that this nascent technology still has a long way to go before it becomes a tool that is used widely in the workplace.

Your Job is Safe… For Now

AI technologies hold significant promise for the future of the workforce, as a tool that can augment the role of existing employees. It would seem remiss to say that workers will be required forever, however, as these technologies continue to evolve, it seems likely that at some point, human operators will no longer be required.

In the interim, however, employees should expect to see AI technologies slowly begin to get a foothold within the workplace, and they should be prepared to embrace change at a whim.

AI holds a great deal of promise and may hold the key to unlocking permanent efficiency improvements within the workplace. However, companies must be smart about embracing AI responsibly - as rapid early adoption comes with significant known and unknown risks.

Today’s MBA graduates may be the last generation that truly experiences work without the power of AI - in twenty years, who knows - maybe we’ll all be supported by AI platforms in the workplace. Mastering the transition from traditional MBA skills to a modern, digital skillset will be critical in standing out from peers in the years to come.