Artificial Intelligence and types of business

We continually see news about the advances of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in almost all fields of activity, and companies (especially the large ones) invest large sums of money to enhance it, and also the people who work in this field enjoy very good job opportunities.

For those who work there, the next 10 or 20 years are going to be very positive. On the other hand, for those who work in other activities (especially those with little added value) their future possibilities are going to be more uncertain.

I am very clear that in one way or another AI will influence practically all business activities and our lives, but depending on how business is done, AI will be applied in greater or lesser depth.

In the case of businesses that have a high level of human interaction, it will be more difficult to replace the professionals who interact with customers with machines that do so in an automated manner.

As much as those machines try to respond like humans (they will), but they will have a hard time being able to respond to customers with the “feelings” people put into their personal relationships.

Another very different thing is in those cases of low value added work, and that are rather routine and repetitive. In this situation, workers have a much more difficult time competing with machines.

Robots first started in factories, and now AI is starting to crowd out intermediate-level jobs. In other words, the so-called “white collar” workers also have it a little difficult.

What is also very clear to me is that AI will be partially integrated with people who will use it as another tool for their work. A tool that slows down repetitive routines, and makes them more capable and more competitive in their tasks.

Many high value-added jobs will have AI “help” as until recently an accountant used a spreadsheet in their daily work.

Consequently, many AI applications may be tools to be used by people.

But don’t be fooled, AI is here; and has come to stay; and it will mean a decrease in jobs.

To say otherwise would only to deceive, and people have the right to know what is coming in order to try to prepare for it.

And they had better be prepared and formed.