In a world of infallible artificial intelligence, computers could do most of our work for us. They could diagnose our illnesses in a second. Robots and autonomous vehicles could shop and deliver our groceries. Systems could ensure we don’t break our budgets. AI could operate our transit — planes, trains and cars — without human assistance, and even make our dinner.
That’s the vision of many AI enthusiasts. But the current reality is that while there has been progress, humans are still required to do most jobs.
“Every job will be impacted by AI,” said Pieter den Hamer, vice president of research who covers artificial intelligence at market research firm Gartner. “Most of that will be more augmentation rather than replacing workers.”
Companies have been using AI for years to help crunch large amounts of data to produce insights for their businesses. Some blue-collar jobs have used AI-powered machines to help with warehouse inventory.
White-collar jobs are likely to see the biggest impact near-term, den Hamer said, as AI can be applied at a relatively low cost compared with deploying a fleet of autonomous trucks, for example.
