IBM CEO Arvind Krishna has announced that the company is halting hiring for jobs that could be done by artificial intelligence (AI). This suggests that the potential for the technology is already starting to disrupt traditional roles for human workers. While AI is expected to impact the workforce, it is still too early to tell how disruptive it will be.
Why it matters: Generative AI, which uses machine learning to create text, images, and video, based on the data it is fed, is causing concern that administrative jobs will be replaced. In particular, office-support workers, lawyers, and engineers are most at risk, rather than construction workers, maintenance professionals, or building cleaning crews. A recent report predicted that 18% of work worldwide could be computerized, with white-collar workers at higher risk than manual laborers.
- Krishna estimated that up to 7,800 jobs at the company could be impacted, and hiring for back-office roles, such as human resources, could be suspended or slowed down.
- IBM’s announcement is an early indicator of the impact AI will have on organizations, as other companies, like Chegg, announced an effect AI has had on its customer growth.
- Experts say that jobs will change because of AI, but predictions that they will go away are overblown.
