Generative artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT are set to disrupt and slowly replace the tasks performed by white-collar workers, according to a review of job site advertisements.
One in five jobs is “highly exposed” to generative AI, meaning that the software can perform 80% of the required tasks at adequate levels, the job hosting site Indeed found in a report released Thursday. Software development jobs are the most affected by generative AI, with 95% of the tasks performable by a chatbot. Other at-risk jobs include copywriting, IT support, and other knowledge-based jobs.
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For the analysis, Indeed reviewed over 55 million job entries and identified over 2,600 job skills. The platform then rated the skills and tried to determine whether AI would be able to perform the tasks.
About a third of jobs face “low exposure” to generative AI, meaning that it can perform only 50% or less of the applicable tasks. These include human-focused tasks such as child care, retail work, and truck driving.
Whether a job could be performed remotely is a major consideration. The report found that the more likely a job can be completed remotely, the more likely AI can replicate its tasks.
Still, the report concludes that while some companies may be able to automate many tasks, they will still need workers.
“The technology will always require a human user to work,” Svenja Gudell, Indeed’s chief economist, told the Washington Examiner. Gudell pointed to the example of a company hiring 10 coders to perform a task. With AI, the company could cut its headcount to three while automating processes. AI is still prone to making mistakes, so a human perspective will still be needed to ensure accuracy or effectiveness.
The most in-demand jobs are also the least affected by artificial intelligence. Twenty of the 25 most common jobs posted on Indeed face a lower potential of AI performing its tasks than the average job posting. These include lower-income occupations such as janitors, construction workers, bartenders, and police officers.
Some people may lose jobs due to AI in the short term, Gudell said, but those jobs will be replaced by new jobs fitting the marketplace.
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AI experts previously predicted that automation would replace manufacturing work first with the addition of automated factory lines. The rise of generative AI expanded that disruption.
Technology companies have already had to adapt their practices to account for AI. The tech manufacturing firm IBM paused hiring people in back-office roles in May after the CEO stated that he intended to cut 30% of the jobs in the next five years and replace them with automated software.
