There are many question marks surrounding artificial intelligence, but we know for sure that it can affect all jobs, not just top management positions, Chris Pissarides said in Brussels. According to the Nobel Prize-winning economist, there will be plenty of jobs in the future, but only for those who continuously train themselves.
Krisztina Tajthy, secretary general of the IVSZ, also pointed this out to our newspaper earlier, explaining that the rise of artificial intelligence will have the same effect as the use of the Internet or electricity, i.e. it will turn our world upside down. Millions of jobs will disappear in the not-too-distant future, but according to experts, at least as many will be created instead. However, in order to be among the winners of the change and to definitely have a job in the near future, we need to acquire new skills.
Data and skills are the new currency
Ben Butters, CEO of the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Eurochambres), spoke at the conference that although artificial intelligence is creating many new jobs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified professionals for them.
In a survey of 43,000 European business leaders, 98 percent of entrepreneurs said that it is much more difficult to find workers than it was 5 years ago
– indicated the specialist. He said most people don’t know what regulations will affect artificial intelligence (AI), and it’s hard to say what skills will be needed in the near future. However, it is certain that knowledge related to artificial intelligence must appear in education, and this requires European-level cooperation between companies and educational institutions.
Cypriot star economist Chris Pissarides also emphasized the acquisition of new skills and presented the most sought-after skills in the coming years, which will make it easy for us to prosper.
- The skills necessary for success are IT,
- data processing,
- operation,
- the logistics
- and they will be in the field of engineering.
These skills are absolutely necessary because “data is the new currency”
– indicated the star economist in his presentation. He added that employers are also looking for people who have good communication skills with superiors, colleagues and subordinates. Companies want employees who have reliability, self-discipline, creativity, critical thinking, leadership, people management, advanced communication and negotiation skills. These skills apply to all jobs in the economy.
The secret to success when new technology comes is to love the new technology. Don’t try to fight him because you will lose
said the Nobel Prize-winning economist, noting that industrial revolutions do not happen very often, but when they do, the economy is transformed, especially the labor market. And now we are in the fourth industrial revolution, which focuses on digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence and robotics. According to Pissarides, these technologies not only create new jobs, but also have a huge impact on existing jobs, especially in the manufacturing industry.
There are many question marks surrounding artificial intelligence, but we know for sure that it can affect all jobs except the top management positions
– indicated the Nobel Prize-winning economist. According to the professor, there will not be a shortage of jobs, but we will need new skills in order to thrive with the help of artificial intelligence. According to him, robots take work away from humans, but he rather welcomes this, as in many cases it is boring, monotonous, and physically demanding jobs. Robots also greatly improve productivity, with countries that have the most robots performing best in this area, such as South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Sweden and Hong Kong. “China deploys more robots than the rest of the world combined,” the professor noted. Turning to artificial intelligence, he said that many people make the mistake of believing that the technology will live up to the hopes they have for it, since the decision is in our hands, we can even choose a different direction.
We can decide differently, we can brake the AI
Joost Korte, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, highlighted at the conference the role of the European Union, especially in the negotiation of the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act, which aims to be the first legal framework to regulate artificial intelligence. use.
While there are concerns about job losses and doomsday scenarios, Korte stressed the positives, such as potential GDP growth and productivity gains
According to serious research, artificial intelligence can increase the annual global GDP by 6.5 trillion euros in the next 10 years
Korte pointed out, noting that AI could transform economies and labor markets and challenge traditional employment structures. However, the introduction of artificial intelligence must not compromise workers’ rights, and attention must be paid to issues such as automated surveillance, invasion of privacy, discrimination and copyright protection. “Political decision-makers must take artificial intelligence very seriously, because we are on the verge of a major transformation of our economies,” emphasized Joost Korte.
(Cover photo: Speakers of the European Employment and Social Rights Forum event held in Brussels. Photo: Maciej Szkopanski / Flickr)
