NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2025 44 MMS 35TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE this technology was popular out of the gate and continues to attract an estimated 96 million visitors per month.” He testifies that having used ChatGPT, he “find[s] it a fascinating way to perform tasks.” The article further informs us that, “The World Economic Forum predicts that tech innovation and automation will displace 85 million jobs by 2025.” Hoots quickly assures us, however, that, “Perhaps a more accurate statement is that these jobs might be repositioned. The outlook is that 97 million new roles are expected to be created as we adapt to this technology.” The key word here is “adapt,” since one thing we can bank on is that with this new technology, we will have to re-think our approach to work, the careers we choose, the courses of study we pursue, among other things. Hoots cites the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, which asserts that “jobs involving AI are among the emerging careers built as a consequence of the new technology.” He continues, “Examining the numbers, the Forum believes there will be a 40% increase in AI and machine learning specialists by 2027, a 30-35% rise in demand for roles such as data analysts and scientists, and a 31% increase in demand for information security analysts. In total, this could mean up to 2.6 million jobs created by AI.” CHANGES AND CAREER SHIFTS This should be welcome and encouraging news for those starting their careers. For others who are already members of the workforce it will mean re-training and adapting to the new technologies, the changing work environment and job demands. Even those in the traditional professions, for example, law and medicine, will have to re-think their approach to work and adjust. The revolutionary impact in medicine is already evident. In the article AI revolution in medicine, staff writer of the Harvard Gazette Alvin Powell, further explains by referencing the New England Journal of Medicine; “ …AI will indeed make it possible to bring all medical knowledge to bear in service of any case. Properly designed AI also has the potential to make our health care system more efficient and less expensive …” These technologies have the potential to customise treatment for each individual. AI’s impact on the legal profession can also be positive for those practitioners who adapt, according to John Villasenor of the Center for Technology Innovation. Writing on “How AI will Revolutionize the practice of law, he says, “Law firms that effectively leverage emerging AI technologies will be able to offer services at lower cost, higher efficiency, and with higher odds of favourable outcomes in litigation.”Those who fail to adjust “will be unable to remain cost competitive, losing clients and undermining their ability to attract and retain talent.” IMPACT ON BUSINESS Chief Executive Officer of Manpower & Maintenance Services Ltd. Group Don Gittens notes the inevitability of AI’s impact on business. “Artificial Intelligence like all things in life, is the evolution of science as we know it. Change is constant, and as we evolve, AI is part of that evolution. Hence in a business context, just like many disruptive and bleeding edge technologies (which today it is difficult to navigate life without), AI is here to stay. It’s just a matter of how we use it for efficiency, productivity, and increased value for our businesses.” Already, the captains of industry are using artificial intelligence to transform business processes for increased efficiency to benefit the consumer and positively impact the bottom-line. Sharing the findings of a survey conducted by Forbes Advisor among 600 business owners who are “using or planning to incorporate AI in business,”contributing writer Katherine Haan in her article How Businesses Are Using Artificial Intelligence In 2023 reports, “Businesses are turning to AI to a greater degree to improve and perfect their operations… The most popular applications include customer service, with 56% of respondents using AI for this purpose, and cybersecurity and fraud management, adopted by 51% of businesses. Other notable uses of AI are customer relationship management (46%), digital personal assistants (47%), inventory management (40%) and content production (35%). Businesses also leverage AI for product recommendations (33%), accounting (30%), supply chain operations (30%), recruitment and talent sourcing (26%) and audience segmentation (24%).” While the findings of this survey may be limited, it is clear that AI is changing or has the potential to positively change how we do business. What is the downside in all of this? The most obvious is the loss of jobs. There is also the risk of glitches in design, technology malfunction, and with increased dependence on these technologies, a decrease in human soft skills including problem solving and communication. Additionally, there is the danger of developing countries like Jamaica being left behind primarily due to economic constraints. “As of October 2021, 44 countries were reported to have their own national AI strategic plans…” To what extent can this be said of Jamaica and other developing countries? In the short term, Jamaica, like others in the developing world must rethink and modernise the curricula offered in their educational institutions with a view to preventing brain drain, upskilling and equipping the workforce to perform optimally in this new dispensation. Businesses must also strategically position themselves to be more competitive in an ever-evolving environment or be left behind. Technologies, including the personal computer and the Internet irrevocably changed how we live and do business. Artificial Intelligence is already doing the same thing. What is the downside in all of this? The most obvious is the loss of jobs. There is also the risk of glitches in design, technology malfunction, and with increased dependence on these technologies, a decrease in human soft skills including problem solving and communication. Additionally, there is the danger of developing countries like Jamaica being left behind primarily due to economic constraints.
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