Introduction:
Within the increasingly technological world we live in today, it may come as no surprise the number of jobs taken over by new high-tech advancements. From something as simple as a clerk at a bank replaced by an ATM machine to a pharmaceutical assistant at a drugstore swapped for a robot coded to know how to accurately measure and fill prescriptions. Within this article, we will uncover five majors potentially impacted by these new evolutions.
1.) Healthcare:
Hype and fears surround artificial intelligence taking jobs in healthcare. However, will it render physicians obsolete? Most likely not, computers simply cannot be coded to render the same amount of empathy as humans and there is not always one consistent and linear solution to such complex health problems that require an educated human brain to solve. Nevertheless, there is evidence to suggest that some specializations are more at risk than others are. A 2017 study [1] out of the Massachusetts General Hospital and MIT showed that an artificial intelligence system was equal or better than radiologists were at reading mammograms for cancer patients needing surgery. A year earlier, Google showed that computers are similar to ophthalmologists at examining retinal images of diabetics. A year before that, computer-controlled robots performed intestinal surgery successfully on a pig. While the robot took longer than a human did, its sutures were more precise, leading to fewer errors.
2.) Culinary:
Vending machines have been around since the early 1880s and are now even accepting debit and credit as a form of payment. Moreover, we already see restaurants advertising fun by building your own frozen yogurt and having one employee readily available to weigh your personalized treat. Although some may argue this is as far as technology will advance in the culinary industry since it is difficult rendering a computer’s sense of smell and taste. However, technology [2] has shown that we can program computers to do the most basic of cooking for us. Hotels have built-in robots who can crack an egg and make the perfect omelette for their guests. Or a in-home robot bartenders who can mix up your favourite cocktail in seconds. Or in many restaurants robots who can make their own fresh noodles and toss them into boiling water to be ready in just a few minutes.
3.) The STEM Industry:
Some character traits great scientists need to have are rational thinking, huge scientific knowledge, creativity and intuition. Computers have already automatized the first two traits but the last two traits proved hard to code. Here are some impacted positions: Data entry clerks; the idea that a company needs to pay a human an hourly wage to transfer data from one format to another, or compile it into one place, and probably get a few potentially crucial typos thrown in there too is not blameless. [3] Financial analysts; computers can spot patterns and make trades faster than even the most eagle-eyed of human analysts. There will be fewer jobs, but there are still opportunities. “Quants” who can combine knowledge of the financial sector with computer science and math are highly sought after to help develop the algorithms that increasingly drive this field.
4.) Lawyers and Paralegals:
The efforts behind what makes a great rhetorician are years of practice in court. Meaning a robot is not going to replace your lawyer anytime soon. But there are other positions [4] that are more easily automatized such as research analysts and paralegals who review and create contracts or documentation, identify red flags within companies to discover fraud and other misconduct, or do research and perform due diligence before corporate acquisitions. Increasing the automation of the legal industry promises to increase efficiency and save clients' money. However, could also cut jobs in the sector as the technology becomes responsible for tasks currently performed by humans.
5.) Journalists and Typists:
It is certainly hard to imagine that it is possible to automatize the art of writing and the creativity behind making newspapers, scholarly journals and captivating articles. However, the new algorithm [5] converts data into narrative news text in real-time. Which collects data to assist writers with first drafts and templates for stories. Due to this, most companies recognize that there is not necessarily a need to replace journalists, but rather help their productivity to produce more stories faster. The new robots can even detect trends and alert reporters to give them a heads-up for incoming news. Due to how quickly the robots are able to produce content, it provides the writers with more time to review the credibility and increase the quality. Overall, provides a true benefit to the journalism industry.
References:
[1] Connor-Simons, A. (2017, 10 16). Using artificial intelligence to improve early breast cancer detection. Retrieved from http://news.mit.edu/2017/artificial-intelligence-early-breast-cancer-detection-1017
[2] Naylor, T. (2019,07 03). Restaurants are now employing robots, should chefs be worried? Retried from https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/07/food-tech-the-march-of-the-robots-reaches-the-kitchen
[3] Universal Robots. (2019, 05 06). Precision automated. Retrieved from https://www.universal-robots.com/industries/scientific-and-research/
[4] Sahota, N. (2019 02 09). Will A.I. put lawyers out of business? Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/02/09/will-a-i-put-lawyers-out-of-business/#8f08eca31f00
[5] Martin, N. (2019 02 08). Did a robot write this? Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolemartin1/2019/02/08/did-a-robot-write-this-how-ai-is-impacting-journalism/#15124a3d7795
