Recent advances in artificial intelligence promise to change or render obsolete millions of jobs. While this prospect raises fears among employees, it is also prompting some to anticipate this evolution in the job market by applying for vacancies that mention AI.
This surprising trend is highlighted in a new LinkedIn report, which found that recruitment ads alluding to this technology particularly attract the attention of job seekers. Over the past two years, the job platform has seen 17% greater growth in the number of applications that mention AI compared with those that don’t.
This progression proves that AI is a hot topic in the workforce – and this appears to be a global phenomenon, since the job offers analysed were written in a multitude of languages, including French, English, Mandarin and Turkish.
Erin Scruggs, vice-president of global talent acquisition at LinkedIn, sees this as evidence of the adaptability of many professionals. “Candidates are savvy. They’re showing they want to go where opportunities are,” she said.
The specialist recommended that companies outline their AI strategy in detail in the ads they post, to help working people envisage what promises to be a revolution in the professional world.
AI may be a hot topic, but experts the world over are still unable to say precisely what its effects on the job market will be. US bank Goldman Sachs estimated in March that AI systems could automate 300 million jobs in the near future, which would represent a quarter of global activity.
Employment website Indeed goes even further in one of its latest studies, claiming that all jobs posted on its platform will be impacted by this technology.
While opinions differ, there is no doubt that today’s and tomorrow’s workers will have to learn to collaborate effectively with AI. They need to consolidate their knowledge and skills to meet the new needs for complementarity between humans and machines.
But working people don’t necessarily need to become experts in “prompt crafting” or robotic systems to secure a professional future in an increasingly automated society. IBM states in its “Augmented Work for an Automated, AI-Driven World” report that human talents will enable people to stand out in the job market.
But focusing on “soft skills” will not be enough; continuous learning will be needed to ensure that knowledge is always up to date, given the remarkable speed at which AI is evolving.
While this technology will probably not replace humans entirely, it will reinforce the disparities among the working population. Those who know how to master it will likely fare better than those who resist.