Anyone concerned AI will take their jobs?

[lisa79]

@machoke47 You’d be surprised.

 

[truth1864]

@hopingforchange Who said the timeline is a year? Since when does new management come in and suggest ideas to hire tons of staff? Usually it's the exact opposite and they try to make cuts earlier than would be reasonable.

I agree organizations have a "if it's not broken, don't fix it" approach to tech, where they'll ignore tech peoples suggestions. But that's because they view it as a cost which does not being in direct revenue. So fuck keeping up with tech changes until it's absolutely necessary.

"AI" is literally the exact opposite. It's potentially a fairly easy way to reduce overhead and impress shareholders/leadership. It's the kind of thing MBAs have wet dreams about.

 

[hopingforchange]

@truth1864 You realize “AI” still requires humans to operate, right? You realize that at the end of every workflow in a business, there is generally the need for some type of review or input/output from an actual person? I use accounting as an example because it will literally never be automated so long as the SEC and SOX controls exist.

 

[sabri]

@truth1864 But AI costs tons of money now. And they look at how much it costs. They will get AI once it is reduced in price and yields more ROI.

Some areas it has already started to but not in all. I work with it myself, it hasn't caused lay offs as of yet. Since the AI is being used to leverage analytics across big data.

 

[ijusdontknowanymore]

@truth1864 Someone has no idea how expensive and inefficient it is to run AI. This is the Bitcoin mining shit again.

 

[earp]

@ijusdontknowanymore For now, it’ll get cheaper. But AI is a productivity booster not a human replacement.

Perl’s greatly underestimate how difficult it is to integrate and centralize things enough to where AI can actually be useful

 

[machoke47]

@hopingforchange https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/12/report-google-ads-restructure-could-replace-some-sales-jobs-with-ai/?darkschemeovr=1#:~:text=A%20report%20at%20The%20Information%20says%20that%20AI,sales%20unit%20who%20oversee%20relationships%20with%20major%20advertisers.%22

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/03/ai-customer-service-jobs/?darkschemeovr=1

 

[javiercrogs]

@hopingforchange

new execs waiting to rip and replace

Is this not the exact threat that AI poses though?

 

[hopingforchange]

@javiercrogs I understand what you’re thinking, but “AI” isn’t just some sentient being that shows up and replaces everyone. It’s part of a larger system that will need to be implemented, maintained, and will ultimately be up against competitor “AI systems” from any number of other vendors that claim to have “better AI.” This is what people are failing to think about but is so obvious to anyone actually doing technical work IRL.

 

[javiercrogs]

@hopingforchange Well, what I’m envisioning (and is already happening in some instances) is a C suite person saying “We can’t afford not to replace 75% of our staff with AI!” because it mostly sort of works and is a fraction of the cost of a human. So 75% of people get laid off, the remaining 25% are tasked with implementing/maintaining the systems, and the resulting product is serviceable at arms length, so revenue isn’t drastically affected. For now, at least. Basically, execs don’t really care whether or not it fully “works” because that’s not a C suite-level problem.

Obviously this looks different depending on the industry and department, but it’s the scenario that concerns me.

 

[hopingforchange]

@javiercrogs Oh for sure! That’s totally going to happen. And just like off shoring, tons of companies will realize it’s not sustainable and bring back staff and the cycle will continue. lol.

 

[resjudicata]

@hopingforchange I just read about Accenture’s earnings this past week and they are doing multibillions in AI work for clients, which are exactly the companies you’re referring to. So yeah don’t think that’s accurate.

 

[april_0718]

@resjudicata LOL I know multiple people who worked at Accenture and from my understanding, the company is basically 3 kids in a trench coat.

 

[lordsgrace3]

@april_0718 Lolol yep. Its a great gig to start out at though, with the travel.

 

[resjudicata]

@hopingforchange the question was if companies were implementing gen AI into their products

they are. and they don’t need their own workers to do that.

 

[lchelling1029]

@resjudicata I work for a tech company, and we've been seeing cuts due to mergers and automation

However.

It's not happening that fast, yet.

I'm right there with you on preparing tho.

Too many people think they won't be the ones impacted, while others have already lost their jobs. (I'm not even referring to artists, media folks, voice actors, and adult entertainment. Ai is everywhere, and big companies will for sure dump as much as they can, the moment it becomes viable for them)

 

[lordsgrace3]

@hopingforchange That's what I'm saying. Good luck building an algorithm to do anything but the most basic functions, they're currently just advanced VRUs.

 

[robh59]

@resjudicata A couple things here, coming from a mid career tech professional:

• AI will have a big impact in the long term but we are IMO in the peak of a massive hype cycle. Widespread sustainable implementation will take a long time and will be much more gradual
• the level of disruption you seem to be anticipating would be a massive societal upheaval and I would likely be worried about more than just hoarding a few extra greenbacks

 

[marbewpi]

@robh59 I agree on both counts, but the forces pushing for AI replacement of labor could care less about the social upheaval.

They're chasing short term profit margins.

 

[thecross3]

@resjudicata For the kind of work I do (Library at State U), not directly. But it will impact my work in how we serve people, and what we need to teach them to watch out for, when evaluating sources.

I saw a webinar about 2 months ago, and the folks behind it stressed that the best thing to do to futureproof your job is to make sure your communication and teamwork skills are tip top.