IBM: saying the quiet part out loud

Did you fell that tremblor?

The company said that they will stop hiring humans for jobs that AI could do better. The oft mentioned position is the human resources position, but you know it will include others. The CEO believed that around 30% of the 260,000 non-customer facing jobs (not all human resources) can be replaced by AI over the next 5 years.

So for HR, it’s stuff like “documenting moves to other departments” and “writing employment verification letters.” Okay, that kind of stuff, I get it. Yeah, you could get a machine or software to do that stuff.

Then Goldman Sachs came out with a report that I haven’t seen yet (tried finding it but failed). That report had a dire prognosis: about 2/3 of jobs in US and Europe are at risk of automation due to AI. It is estimated that AI could currently do 1/4 of jobs now. Or another set of numbers: 300 million jobs or 18% of work globally automated – mainly in advance world.

I don’t know what to say.

Here are some things you might have to do:

• Get digitally savvy. Knowing how to code isn’t going to save you because coders are affected by the latest development in AI but you need to get comfortable using digital tools so you can develop a feel for how to use them in savvy ways.
• Get creative. Again, designers, artists, musicians, photographers, and all variations of creative folks are impacted by these developments. It can mimic but there is still an AI aesthetic to the imagery and words. It might well be a combination of artistry, ideas and personality that will bring people to you. The large-scale artists or the graffiti artists may have a desired skill because the artworks are non-digital and most people can’t do analog art. Musicians can bring in their entertainment value and personality through tours, kind of like Beyonce and Taylor Swift. Granted, these are the top-notch artists making it.
• There are other kinds of creativity: in problem solving, in reaching out to people, in communicating.
• Finding the best yourself. There’s probably going to be a a branding and marketing aspect here. I know this is vague and kind of like a popularity contest that the brainerds and weirdos lose out on.