How COVID-19 Is Shining A Light on Jobs That Can Be Automated

This topic continues to be discussed as we perfect more and more artificial intelligence (AI). The running debate of whether or not AI is going to take our jobs is something people fear every day. Due to COVID-19, it was predicted that 30% of jobs would be automated by 2030. A scary thought for most, but I’m here to tell you why automated jobs are beneficial for our economy and our environment.

1. Cleaner and Healthier
We’ve all become hyper aware of how clean or dirty our surroundings are, especially in working environments, where there are multiple people touching the same surfaces. Places such as hospitals and grocery stores are switching over to cleaning AI. Cleaning is physically demanding, and being thorough today is very important for the safety of others. Especially in these high-risk areas, it’s beneficial to replace these jobs with AI. Not only can you guarantee a clean workplace, you are removing people from potential health risks.

2. No more boring jobs
The majority of jobs being replaced are jobs that provide limited stimulation. Cleaning, sorting through trash, or scanning items are jobs that AI wouldn’t have a problem working. With this change, employees are able to strengthen different skill sets thus acquiring higher paying and more stimulating jobs. Assigning AI to less stimulating jobs makes way for employees to take on more important tasks. While the AI is doing inventory in the back room, employees can focus on taking care of their customers.

3. Actual Social Distancing
Even though we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, social distancing is still recommended. However, most physical jobs require employees to stand in close proximity. Recycling jobs, for example require employees to stand basically shoulder to shoulder in order to sort through everything. The solution to this is easy—AI. With AI in place, employees are allowed to work comfortably with space in between them.

4. More jobs in the long run
The initial fear with AI is that it is taking jobs. Every decade, society experiences the same fear. When new technology is introduced, companies receive backlash in fear of losing their jobs. However, it’s been shown time and time again that AI actually births new jobs. Higher paying roles become more common, and lower paying roles are now performed by AI. This cycle was sped up due to COVID-19, but it’s a cycle that we’ve seen many times.

Things in the workforce have changed for the better. It’s scary to think of AI as something beneficial because of the negative light casted on it for so long. But these changes are being made for our safety.