Artificial intelligence and robotics are often criticized for the automation they bring about. Much less attention is paid to imagining the new jobs they will create. Here are a few of them.
While the rise of artificial intelligence is certainly a source of enthusiasm, it also raises many worries about the future of work. The word “Automation,” or the replacement of man by machine, is on everyone’s lips and anxious articles announcing the impending unemployment of a large part of humanity are countless. Nevertheless, while it is relatively easy to predict which jobs are in danger of disappearing, it is far more difficult to imagine the new jobs that will emerge, given the creative destruction phenomenon theorized by economist Schumpeter.
Artificial intelligence could well create more jobs than it will destroy. Gartner consulting firm estimates that 2.3 million new jobs will be created in the United States thanks to artificial intelligence by 2020, far exceeding the 1.8 million jobs that will be automated at the same time. There is little chance then, that the future of humanity will resemble the one described by the Trepalium television series, where only a small fraction of the population has the opportunity to work, while the rest live in poverty. However, there is also a need to ensure that there is a workforce with the skills needed to fill these new positions. For example, a recent Deloitte consulting firm report predicts that 3.5 million industrial jobs will be created in the United States over the next decade, but that 2 million of these jobs are likely to remain vacant due to a lack of skilled staff. Herein lies the point in wondering what the jobs of the future will look like. Here are a few possibilities:
This profession actually already exists. Amazon, Google and Apple all employ copywriters, screenwriters and actors to write scripts for their respective artificial intelligence assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri). The objective is to humanize them by giving them a sense of humour and a sense of repartee. At a time when companies are competing to create state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, there is a good chance that this niche will develop. Yahoo. inc does research to allow chatbots, which they employ for customer service, to understand irony and innuendo. Its engineers have developed algorithms capable of detecting sarcasm in messages from social networks, with a current success rate of 80%. New York startup Koko works on algorithms that allow chatbots to perceive the feelings of their human discussion partners and deal with their requests with empathy. Finally, the San Francisco-based company Replika is building a conversational intelligence capable of learning from its discussion partners.
Artificial intelligence is already having an impact on most economic sectors. Soon, few companies will be able to forego this technology. However, as technology progresses, the algorithms used are becoming increasingly opaque. They reason on the basis of ever-increasing variables, which often leads them to be called black boxes, as it is difficult to trace the common thread that motivated their decision making. Companies that market these algorithms will therefore need to have staff to explain how they work to their customers. They will also be responsible for making algorithms accountable. Thus, if artificial intelligence makes a bad decision, these demystifiers will study the process that led the algorithm to achieve this result, in order to make corrections for the future. The AI Now Institute, which was launched last fall, is already working closely with algorithm designers and professionals to reduce the black box effect.
Human-Robot Relations Specialist
Robots will quickly become an integral part of the working world, so it will be imperative that they collaborate effectively with humans. Some management positions will thus be designed to ensure good relationships between people and machines. The HRR specialist would be responsible for identifying the strong points of human intelligence and artificial intelligence for a given task, and for organizing work tasks so that each one can give the best of themselves without encroaching on the other. Engineers designing robots will also have to take this dimension into account. For example, to facilitate collaboration between humans and machines, researcher Manuela Veloso of Carnegie Mellon University has designed assistant robots capable of asking humans for help and explaining themselves in the event of failure. According to her, robots cannot be completely autonomous, and must be able to interact with humans so that their functioning is optimal: this is what she calls symbiotic autonomy.
Many researchers and companies are now studying the use of robots for home care, rehabilitation and assistance for the elderly. University of Southern California researcher Maja Mataric is designing robots to assist patients in their daily rehabilitation exercises. One startup called Sensely develops a virtual assistant capable of monitoring patients remotely, while Catalia Health’s Mabu robot supports doctors in monitoring convalescent patients. Over the next few years, the supply of robots will most certainly increase, and patients will be able to choose from many kinds of robots to assist their loved ones. Robotics consultants would be able to guide them in choosing the product that best suits their needs, according to their lifestyle and personal tastes.
What do you think of these first jobs based on human-machine relationships? Do they generate new vocations for some of you? Give us your feedback! Want to discover other new jobs? Read our second article where we continue this list on new jobs around regarding legal issues, data collection and marketing and the impact of AI on the arts!