Wednesday, March 27, 2024

The World Economic Forum, the Fear of Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace and Your Unnecessary Existence

Over the past five years, the global public has become increasingly aware of the World Economic Forum, a collection of global elites who believe that they have the solution to every problem that ails humanity.  With the growth in the importance of artificial intelligence (AI), it's not surprising that the WEF weighs in on this global phenomenon.

  

In this posting:

 


...the WEF makes the following observations (with my bolds throughout):

 

1.) Emerging technologies including AI will disrupt jobs and employees’ skills in the coming years.

 

2.) Around a fifth of workers in the US say they fear AI will make them obsolete, a phenomenon dubbed “FOBO” (fear of obsolescence).

 

3.) The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report finds that some roles will never be replaced and that AI will lead to job growth in some areas, while upskilling will be key.

 

The author of the piece, Kate Whiting, Senior Writer for the WEF, then goes on to provide us with the following:

 

"Imagine waking up one day and finding your job has been automated overnight by intelligent machines. Then you discover even the career you dreamed of pursuing next has already been mastered by AI. 

 

Quickly, more and more human domains once thought impossible to replicate – art, music, emotion – fall prey to advancing algorithms until all uniquely human talent and purpose dwindles in the face of superior robotic counterparts. Soon your very existence becomes trivial … unnecessary."

 

It would appear that if anyone should be experiencing FOBO, it's Ms. Whiting because she goes on to inform us that the preceding paragraphs were written by AI.

 

Here is a graphic from Gallup that shows us the growing percentage of American workers that are concerned about becoming obsolete because of technological advancements:

 


Gallup and the WEF also note that certain demographics are more concerned about a technological takeover than others:

 


The author goes on to state the following:

 

"Is FOBO justified? It largely depends on the profession you’re in as to how many tasks can be automated, but humans will always need to be kept in the loop to some extent – with their work augmented by AI. 

 

Routine and repetitive tasks are the ones AI is most likely to automate, according to the World Economic Forum’s Jobs of Tomorrow whitepaper, whereas critical thinking and complex problem-solving could be augmented by the technology.

 

Only 16.1% of an HR manager’s job, for example, shows potential for automation and 22.2% for augmentation, according to the report.

 

But there are some roles AI will never be able to replace, and in fact, careers in agriculture, education and supply chain and logistics will likely see growth."

 

I'm not sure about your personal work experience but during my career, I found human resource departments to be an essentially useless appendage with many companies that I worked for totally abandoning the use of HR personnel.

  

Being the provider of solutions to all problems facing humanity, the WEF provides a solution to the problem of becoming obsolete:

 

"In the next five years, employees estimate that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted, meaning upskilling and life-long learning are now more essential, says the Future of Jobs Report 2023.

 

The skills most in demand are those that AI can’t replace, including analytical thinking, empathy and active listening, and leadership and social influence.

 

AI will also create new fields of work, with growing opportunities for: “trainers”, “explainers” and “sustainers”, the Forum’s white paper, Jobs of Tomorrow: Large Language Models and Jobs, found."

  

Here two summary graphics from the aforementioned WEF white paper on the jobs of tomorrow showing which jobs have the highest potential for large language automation and augmentation:

 


 

In an "Editor's Picks" from its website, the WEF makes the following observations about the fear of becoming obsolete in the age of AI:

  

"As generative AI rapidly evolves, a new fear grips the workforce: FOBO, the Fear of Becoming Obsolete. A recent Gallup survey reveals a 7-point increase since 2021 in US workers who believe new technologies threaten their jobs, reflecting a growing sense of anxiety about AI's impact on the job market. Experts predict that 44% of skills will be disrupted within the next five years, further fueling these concerns.

 

AI brings opportunities amidst the disruption

 

However, the rise of AI presents a double-edged sword. While some fear job losses, 50% of organizations anticipate AI-driven job growth. Companies are rapidly adopting generative AI, with specialists in AI and Machine Learning topping the list of fast-growing professions. This suggests that workers can leverage the situation by upskilling themselves in AI.

 

Human skills remain key

 

Despite the AI wave, human faculties hold their ground. AI fluency ranks only third on the list of desirable skills by 2027, trailing behind analytical and creative thinking. This underscores the enduring value of uniquely human capabilities, even in an increasingly automated world.

 

Cautious optimism among workers

 

Despite the anxieties surrounding FOBO, the overall sentiment towards AI remains positive, as revealed by a global study by PwC. While some express concerns, a third believe it will enhance their productivity and efficiency by freeing them from routine tasks and allowing them to focus on developing more complex and marketable skills."

 

So, the global ruling class's solution to becoming obsolete is for workers to "upskill".  Is a college graduate worker in their fifties really going to have the ability or desire to upskill when the potential for retirement is only ten to fifteen years away?  Is a worker who didn't graduate from high school going to have the capability or financial resources to upskill in artificial intelligence technology?

  

Welcome to the WEF's AI-based dystopian future which the global elite claim is the "steam engine of the Fourth Industrial Revolution" as shown here:



You'll do nothing, own nothing and be happy.  Just put up, shut up and eat your insects.


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