involve second-tier companies who build upon the advances of the larger companies and embed capacities before they can be regulated or stopped.10
So, what’s the reality? For now, someplace between a commercially viable product and an existential threat. A study by the Pew Research Center put some context around both the fears about AI and its impact on workers. The study found:
•In 2022, 19 percent of American workers were in jobs that are the most exposed to AI, in which the most important activities may be either replaced or assisted by AI.
•23 percent of workers have jobs that are the least exposed to AI, in which the most important activities are farther from the reach of AI. Other workers, nearly six-in-ten in all, are likely to have varying levels of exposure to AI.
•Jobs with a high level of exposure to AI tend to be in higher-paying fields where a college education and analytical skills can be a plus.
Certain groups of workers have higher levels of exposure to AI:
•Those with more education: Workers with a bachelor’s degree or more (27 percent) are more than twice as likely as those with a high school diploma only (12 percent) to see the most exposure.
•Women: A greater share of women (21 percent) than men (17 percent) are likely to see the most exposure to AI. This is because of differences in the types of jobs by men and women.
•Asian and White: Asian (24 percent) and White (20 percent) workers are more exposed than Black (15 percent) and Hispanic (13 percent) workers.
•Higher-wage workers: In 2022, workers in the most exposed jobs earned $33 per hour, on average, compared with $20 in jobs with the least amount of exposure.
Workers seem more hopeful than concerned about the impact of AI on their jobs:
A recent Pew Research Center survey finds that many U.S. workers in more exposed industries do not feel their jobs are at risk – they are more likely to say AI will help more than hurt them personally. For instance, 32 percent of workers in information and technology say AI will help more than hurt them personally, compared with 11 percent who say it will hurt more than it helps.
Other key findings included:
•Most workers are more likely to work in jobs with less exposure to AI than in jobs with more exposure. This is true among men, Black and Hispanic workers, younger workers, and workers with less formal education, among others.
•Asian workers and college graduates are among the highest paid of workers most exposed to AI. The most exposed workers earn more than the least exposed workers no matter their demographic characteristic, and the gap is especially striking among men, Asian workers and foreign-born workers.
•Analytical skills are more important in jobs with more exposure to AI. These skills include critical thinking, writing, science, and mathematics. Mechanical skills, such as equipment maintenance, are more important in jobs with less exposure to AI.
•Scarcely any U.S. businesses – fewer than 3 percent – reported using advanced technologies such as machine learning or machine vision software to produce goods or services in 2020, according to the most recent available data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Still, these were large businesses who accounted for about 11 percent to 16 percent of overall employment.11
The Future of Jobs
Taking changes within the workforce, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the possible effects of artificial intelligence (AI), it is possible to construct a picture concerning the future of work.