AI – A revolution and Force for good
Much has been written about AI since ChatGPT exploded onto the market late last year, and a lot has been written about the potential negative impacts of it and that, ultimately, it has the potential to make humanity extinct. It also has the potential to transform everyone’s lives positively.
At Future Work, for well over a year, we have been working with an international AI Consultancy that has launched their operations in the UK, who engaged us to fill a number of C suite roles and continue to utilise our services to identify their senior management, who will work with Tier 1 and Tier 2 organisations to create and implement AI solutions across a number of different vertical markets. As a result, we at Futurework have learnt much about the area and its likely impact.
It is important to understand what AI is. Very basically, it is the combination of 3 areas within tech – data, fast computing power and machine learning. It can be applied to literally everything from manufacturing, to retail, to services – legal, finance, etc., government, transportation, pharmaceuticals, medicine, as well as creative services, which will be impacted by AI.
We are currently at the very beginning of this revolution. To give you an analogy, we are at the stage the internet was in 1994. The difference between the internet and AI and its impact, compared to the web, is that it will be at least 100 times more extreme. Equally, its development will occur much more rapidly. Again, to give an analogy, technologically, it will be like going from the 1950s to the 1980s in around 10 years (with the economic benefits of 3 decades in one). Governments, institutions, companies, and individuals will have to adapt very quickly to the opportunities (and threats) AI will bring.
From a human aspect, AI will have the most profound impact on employment. If we allow it to, AI could replace every job role in existence. The Centre for AI Safety (CAIS) has used the film WALL-E as an example of how humanity can become ‘enfeebled’ by AI, and it is not beyond the realms of impossibility for this to occur. It will be up to governments to install “guard rails”, otherwise, if it is allowed to develop without regulation, then it will quickly reduce the need for human capital in the majority of areas.
The limit to the development of AI is man’s (or woman’s) creativity and application for its use. The people who are entering the industry now will have enormous power and literally could decide the fate of humanity for future generations. It is an exciting time to be part of this new technology, and we at Futurework are playing an albeit small part in finding the people who will shape the future.
NB. This was written by me, with no input from ChatGPT or any other AI.
