Programmers in the Age of AI – Is the New Technology Jeopardizing IT Jobs?
New technology has always been met with equal parts excitement and apprehension. In our quest to make things easier for everyone, we often forget the little things that may need to be sacrificed. For example, the advent of the tractor was excellent news for most, as it meant higher food production, and therefore, readily available and inexpensive produce in stores. However, it was bad news for the millions of farmhands worldwide, who suddenly became obsolete.
Not much has changed in the modern world, aside from the type of technology being innovated. For example, the strides we are making in AI development are certainly exciting, as it means we are that much closer to understanding, not just the technology behind it all, but our own mind. However, it also means that many are feeling anxiety about potentially losing their jobs. In this article, we would like to focus on how AI is going to impact the IT sector, and whether jobs are going to be jeopardized.
How AI is Changing Jobs
To deny that artificial intelligence is going to have an impact on the job market is plain wrong. Already, we’ve seen AI change certain businesses. An excellent example that encapsulates how AI can replace a human is the iGaming sector. Online casinos have been performing remarkably in the past few years. People seem to be enamored with the excellent casino bonus offers, the innovative original games, and the comforting live games that have taken over online gambling. However, those who’ve played for more than a year, may have noticed that the live chat at online casinos is a little different today.
While only a couple of years ago, human employees were the ones operating live chats at online casinos, nowadays it is mostly AI. We don’t mean to single out the iGaming industry here. Most businesses that operate online now feature an AI-powered live chat. The reason is not just because it is cost effective, but also because the AI has a much faster reaction time than a human, and can answer questions at a much faster rate. Not to mention all of the ways in which AI is helping with cybersecurity, fraud detection, and more. But, what impact does this have on IT jobs?
Changes in IT Jobs
With its current capabilities, AI’s contribution to programming and IT is only minimal. Programmers can teach a machine learning software to fix minor issues, detect any discrepancies in the binary code, and generate snippets. Some of the more powerful AI have even been thought how to debug code. Overall, the usage of artificial intelligence in programming has greatly increased productivity, and made for a more efficient industry. But, therein lies the rub.
The fast rate at which AI is developing has some programmers quite worried. If in this early stage, AI can do basic tasks, them what is going to happen ten, twenty, or even forty years into the future, when machine learning software has developed to a point that we can’t even imagine now. It is worth keeping in mind that, just a couple of decades ago, artificial intelligence was still only a term used in science fiction films and literature. That is how quickly this technology has progressed.
Growing Worry Regarding AI
A group of researchers dedicated to the study of AI have determined that, if things continue progressing in the way that they are, artificial intelligence could potentially replace human developers as early 2040. It is worth noting that, often, these sorts of predictions are wrong, as they look at best-case (or perhaps worst-case depending on one’s point of view) scenarios. However, it is still quite impressive that AI has the potential to develop so quickly.
Understandably, this information does not sit right with many software developers. Fears and anxieties that their IT departments will be replaced by artificial intelligence in the not-so-distant future are increasing. But, what is interesting now is that these fears are more justifiable than they’ve ever been before. It is actually quite possible that the future of information technology lies in AI-automation, which would certainly lead to quite a lot of job displacements.
What Can Be Done?
It is too late to put the proverbial genie back in the bottle. Artificial intelligence, with all of the challenges and benefits that it has, is now a technology that scientists, developers, and computer engineers are passionately pursuing. In other words, there is no point in protesting its development. The best anyone can do is adapt to the new future. As the role of AI in IT expands, skilled programmers will find a niche that AI can’t take care of. New roles will likely emerge in the market, ones that only a human can perform.
An example of this would be maintenance work. AI, like all programs is prone to bugs and malfunctions, and somebody has to be in charge to fix those bugs. Of course, nothing is stopping us from programming AI to fix other machines. In fact, that will almost certainly happen in the future. Once it does, we will have to adapt to that too. As we said at the start, job displacements are unavoidable when new technology is introduced. The best we can do is adapt to the changing landscape, and garner new skills that will help us endure in an ever-progressing digital age.
Concluding Thoughts
The quick progress of artificial intelligence technology has led to excitement and anxiety worldwide. Some are very intrigued by the direction that AI development can take, while others are understandably worried about their own standing in the world. Up until recently, many believed that AI would only be capable of replacing low-skill or entry level jobs. However, researchers seem to believe that the capabilities of machine learning and artificial intelligence have been greatly underestimated. Still, there are those who think that the development of AI will ultimately be a good thing for most people, as it will force us to adapt to a new world, and help us develop new skills. Which side is right remains to be seen.
