CORE 456

An Ever Changing Job Force

The last learning objective from this class is “critique the ideas of others with regard to an object, process or concept of a digital nature. Your critique should incorporate an interdisciplinary perspective gained from other core courses as well as from your major area of interest”. With this in mind I have some thoughts about AI taking over jobs. 

In society today, we see AI moving into areas we never could have seen coming 15 years ago. AI and automated systems can do almost anything, and if they can’t do it now, they are almost there. As a society wwe have seen the developement of tech getting of rid of countless jobs; for example, the creation of the cotton gin, telephone, telegraph, printing press, looms/nitting machines, and countless others. However, we have never seen something of this magnitude that stretches across so many different fields. AI has its hands in law, engineers, computing, construction, acting, and so many more. Across all of these fields new automation is taking jobs from uneducated and educated peoples.

I am a construction management major and I see it in my field as well. One piece of tech I would like to hone in on is one I discussed in my presentation. This piece of tech is called the Hadrian X. This machine places concrete masonry units, in a fraction of the time that it is done by hand. This allows general contractors to eliminate many concrete workers and a hge portion of the time in their schedules. This makes this tech affordable, however, society moving in this direction could really injure the uneducated work force.  As we’ve seen in the past these jobs are usually replaced but replaced with what in todays modern world?

Our modern day workforce is not educated on systems like these and unless we make it easily accessable and affordable, people will not be able to work on operating these systems. I believe that the next generation will have an easier time because they will be merging into an already adapted workforce. However, the current workforce may have no where to go once AI strikes. 

I believe that one solution to this issue is lowering the standard of eduction for many job fields. A lot of jobs on the maret require  a college degree, however, with AI making all jobs easier, it may lower the need of a 4 year degree. I do see this in the near future, especially as college costs soar, and the youth struggles with debt.