Here at Newsflash Online, we know that there has been a lot of concern from some quarters concerning the potential of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to replace human jobs. A new survey suggests, however, that those businesses that were currently rolling out AI were also more likely to be recruiting people as they did so.
The survey, carried out by Dun & Bradstreet at the AI World Conference and Expo in Boston, found that 40% of such companies were adding new jobs and actively recruiting. 34% said that their demand for human workers was unchanged, and only 8% were looking to cut jobs as a result of AI.
A fifth of companies surveyed in full AI deployment
Most companies surveyed had moved beyond the awareness and early adoption stages and were now involved in the implementation of AI. 20% were at the stage of full deployment. As the survey was carried out at an AI conference, respondents were always likely to be more advanced than businesses as a whole. Even so, challenges were found to remain, with 28% citing a shortage of human expertise and a similar proportion saying that a lack of data was the biggest barrier to implementing AI.
Dun & Bradstreet’s Chief Data Scientist Anthony Scriffignano said: ‘Data is the foundation upon which any technology – especially AI – can be built. If you have a faulty data foundation, you will likely have a faulty technology approach yielding faulty insights. As data continues to be produced and stored in exponentially increasing quantities, we will begin to see AI systems adapt and improve, which is inherent to the value of AI.’
A quarter of UK workers fear losing their jobs to automation
A separate UK survey by OpenText found that 25% of UK workers believed that their jobs could be replaced by robots within the next decade. One in ten respondents aged 25 to 34 thought that it could happen within the next year. Looking beyond that, 42% of all respondents thought that their jobs could be replaced by 2066.
OpenText’s Senior Vice-President for Europe Mark Bridger said that AI could have positive effects for workers, however.
He said: ‘We should stop viewing AI as an existential threat to employment. Collaborative robots – or “co-bots” – will allow for greater efficiency while also taking some of the day-to-day strain off employees.’
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