Certain occupations should only be performed by humans

CAREER

The progress of AI can mean a revolutionary change in the labor market. And now we have to decide how big the change will be, believes technology researcher Georg Graetz.
– We should discuss legal requirements that certain professional tasks should only be performed by humans.

Few people question the fact that developments in artificial intelligence are moving at an astonishingly fast pace. The question of what the effects may be for the future labor market is complex and uncertain. But one thing is clear and that is that the potential, or the risk, depending on how you choose to see it, is enormous.

– It will likely have a dramatic impact, we don’t yet know how it will be integrated or fully used. The impact can also be on the margins, where AI only helps us with tasks without it being particularly dramatic, says Georg Graetz.

He is associate professor of economics at Uppsala University and has long researched the consequences of technological development for the labor market.

Highly educated favored

The transformation in the labor market has so far mainly benefited the highly educated – but the new technology will also affect this group. A new one states that rapport from SNS, where Georg Graetz is co-author.

Whether AI will replace jobs that require high education is also a question that lacks a definitive answer, he emphasizes.

– Are many jobs for highly educated people so complex, and requiring so much decision-making, that AI becomes a complement, rather than replacing the human factor?

General education investments are not sufficient for older and low-educated people who are affected by labor market changes – what they need are short courses with a clear connection to occupations that are in demand, the researchers write in the report.

Increased productivity – fewer working hours

Based on his field of research, Georg Graetz also states that the development will very likely lead to increased productivity – and thus a gradual reduction in working hours.

– It has been a far-reaching trend in recent decades that our hours worked are decreasing. It will continue, as a consequence of our productivity increasing.

Earlier this week, Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, which is behind Chat GPT, was in the US Congress to answer questions about the risks associated with the product.

Altman wants to see government regulations to reduce the risks of the increasingly powerful AI models.

– As technology develops, we understand that people are concerned about how it will change our way of life. So are we, Altman said during the hearing.

Regulations necessary

Georg Graetz emphasizes that many of the security aspects are justified, but at the same time points out that it is largely about extreme scenarios.

– I have a hard time seeing the logic in that. It could happen, but seems unlikely. We would probably have seen early warning signs then, and had time to act. I am not convinced by the argument that technology will run away from us and take over the world, he says.

However, he agrees that regulations are absolutely necessary to ensure that there is time for adaptation and that we are not overwhelmed.

– We could have legal requirements that certain tasks and decisions must be carried out and made by people. In certain professions, such as doctors and surgeons, this can be the case, says Georg Graetz.

– It is these kinds of measures and decisions that should be discussed now.