The society is worried that AI may substitute a great number of employees in the near future. Such a phenomenon can contribute to widespread unemployment, social inequality, and unrest; however, it can be regulated by the right policies and steps.
First of all, AI has already taken over in such sectors as finance, customer service, and many others, which contain monotonous tasks, contributing to major unemployment rates. Many people who have worked in such spheres will be facing an issue of finding a well-paid job, since their experience and skill may be unnecessary and invaluable, considering the fact that AI is able to do all of the work faster, more correctly, and less expensively. Therefore, for many companies, it is more convenient to systemize all AI tasks rather than spend a great deal of money on keeping a real worker.
Secondly, a growing use of AI in the work process can lead to economic inequality. The advantages of artificial intelligence benefit skilled and professional workers and large companies, while replaced workers may find themselves struggling to adapt to a new reality. Individuals who lack education may fall further behind, increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. As a result, society might become more divided, and equality could be weakened.
The issue can be solved in many ways. One of them is enforcing the right policies. A lot of people fear AI because of their lack of knowledge about it. Therefore, providing information about more efficient and safe usage of AI to the masses can lead to a different situation on the job market. The artificial intelligence will not be perceived as something dangerous and threatening, otherwise, it will be adjusted so that it will not replace a real worker, but make one’s job easier. Moreover, the origin of the issue lies in the limit of education, thus, providing it to the masses or making it more available may exceed the value of the employee.
In conclusion, with the proper actions, the problem of workers’ substitution with AI can be viewed more harmless.