MENA Newswire News Desk: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the global economy, but rather than replacing entire jobs, AI will mostly impact tasks within those jobs, said Dr. Erik Brynjolfsson, the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Professor at Stanford University. Speaking at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils, he emphasized that businesses and policymakers should prioritize augmentation over automation to safeguard employment.
Brynjolfsson described AI as a general-purpose technology (GPT) that can enhance various sectors. He highlighted the need to focus on how advanced technologies can replace specific tasks rather than entire jobs. “A job is a bundle of different tasks. AI can help with some of them,” he explained, noting that AI could assist with certain functions while still requiring human oversight. As an example, Brynjolfsson referenced the role of radiologists in healthcare.
Despite concerns that AI’s superior image recognition capabilities would make radiologists obsolete, demand for their expertise actually tripled between 2016 and 2022. “There are about 27 distinct tasks that radiologists perform. One of them is interpreting images, but they do other things, such as administering sedation. AI helps with some tasks, but others require a human touch.” Brynjolfsson also presented data showing that approximately 80% of the U.S. workforce will see at least 10% of their tasks affected by AI.
He pointed out that 19% of workers, especially in higher-paid roles like medical doctors, may experience AI impacting 50% or more of their tasks. He stressed that many CEOs and policymakers mistakenly focus on using AI for job automation, while the bigger opportunity lies in using AI to augment human abilities. “The real potential is in AI increasing what people can do,” Brynjolfsson said, calling for a forward-looking approach to policy and business decisions.
The UAE is hosting the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils from October 15-17, 2024, at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. This event helps set the agenda for the World Economic Forum in Davos, scheduled for January 2025. Launched in 2008, the Global Future Councils network has brought together more than 12,000 participants from over 100 countries to examine global trends. The 2024 edition features 30 councils and over 700 participants, including experts, thought leaders, and senior government officials. By emphasizing augmentation over automation, Dr. Brynjolfsson’s insights offer a strategic direction for how AI will shape the future of work without rendering entire professions obsolete.