AI won't be implemented in every job, but it may be in some.
The job cuts, the largest in UPS's 116-year history, were partly the result of new technology, including AI, CEO Carol Tomé said on an earnings call in February. Ta. Meanwhile, IBM plans to pause hiring for jobs it believes could soon be automated by AI, CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg last year.
Workers are not optimistic about the future. In a recent McKinsey survey, 25% of business professionals said they expected their employers to lay off employees as a result of AI implementation. And, well, their pessimism isn't misplaced. According to one estimate, around 4,000 workers have lost their jobs to AI since May. Additionally, a poll by Beautiful.ai, a company that develops AI-powered presentation software, found that nearly half of managers said they would like to replace their employees with AI.
But a group of big tech vendors and consultancies called the AI-enabled ICT Workforce Consortium (ITC) says AI will lead to job losses, citing the need for reskilling and upskilling in information and technology. It aims to push back against ideas. Especially the communication technology (ICT) industry.
ITC is led by Cisco and supported by Google, Microsoft, IBM (among others), Intel, SAP, and Accenture. ITC's mission is to help people find AI-related training programs and connect companies with “skilled, work-ready” workers, while researching the impact of AI on employment, a spokesperson said. He spoke at a TechCrunch press conference.
“ITC's unique approach examines and assesses the impact of AI on specific jobs, including skills and tasks, and recommends AI-enabled training of ICT talent,” the spokesperson said. “Consortium members and advisors share a common view that a greater sense of urgency is needed to understand the impact of AI on key jobs in the ICT industry.”
In the first phase of the work, ITC will assess the impact of AI on 56 ICT jobs and provide training recommendations for affected roles. Although ITC has not yet disclosed, these 56 roles will be of “strategic importance” in the broader ICT ecosystem and the impact of AI on the tasks required to perform the roles, as well as “promising roles”. The company was chosen based on its role in providing “services,” a spokesperson said. An “entry point” for lower-level workers.
“These occupations include the top 45 ICT occupations with the most job openings from 2023 to February 2024 in the United States and the five European countries with the largest ICT workforce (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain). 80% (Netherlands),” a spokesperson said. “Together, these countries represent a significant part of the ICT sector, with a total of 10 million ICT workers.”
If the goal is to allay fears that mass AI threatens our lives, tech industry incumbents will need to offer more than vague promises and reports.
ITC plans to release its findings in a report this summer. The roadmap beyond that has not yet been fully determined.
“The consortium plans to decide on the scope of 'Phase 2' in mid-2024,” the spokesperson said. “As we move towards Phase 2, the consortium extends its invitation to other organizations and institutions to join in our collaborative efforts to support the success of the AI-powered ICT workforce. We may consider that.”
And therein lies the problem with industry consortia like this.
If the goal is to allay fears that mass AI will threaten our lives, tech industry incumbents will need to offer more than vague promises and reports. IBM has pledged to equip 2 million people with AI skills by 2030. Intel announced that it will use AI to upskill more than 30 million people during the same period.
“Consortium members have set forward goals with skills development and training programs that will positively impact more than 95 million individuals around the world over the next 10 years,” the spokesperson said.
But it's not clear how many AI roles will be available at that point.
Demand for AI roles is decreasing, not increasing, according to a recent analysis by labor market analysis firm Lightcast. In 2022, AI-related jobs accounted for 2% of all U.S. job openings, but in 2023 that number dropped to 1.6%.
“Consortium members are working to develop workforce pathways, particularly in occupations that increasingly integrate artificial intelligence technologies,” the spokesperson said. “This is a voluntary and transparent enterprise-wide initiative to assess the impact of technology roles most susceptible to AI and identify upskilling and reskilling pathways. , with this work we aim to produce real, concrete recommendations that address business and employee needs.”
I'll reserve judgment until I see those “actual, concrete” recommendations. But I would like it to involve a course of action, or indeed some action, in whatever form it takes. Big Tech has big promises to keep, especially regarding the future of work and the tech industry's role in shaping it.