Emerging Technologies: Endangering humans’ job opportunities

The development of new technologies has posed a threat to humans as many jobs are being lost, replaced by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence. Abolaji Adebayo reports

Though with greater advantages to human existence, the emergence of new technologies has continued to pose threats to livelihood with millions of workers at the risk of losing their jobs. Already, thousands of jobs have been lost as technology has taken them over from human workforce. Ordinarily, technologies are supposed to reduce workloads and make it easier for humans to work and enhance their performances. However, rather than this, some of the new technologies are taking over human jobs completely, creating more unemployment rate. For instance, no fewer than 10,000 jobs have been taken over at Microsoft company by AI, while other major tech companies have also laid their workers off due to the deployment of AI.

Emerging technologies

Emerging technologies are technologies whose development, practical applications, or both are still largely unrealised. These technologies are generally new but also include older technologies finding new applications. They are often perceived as capable of changing the status quo. Emerging technologies include a variety of technologies such as Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Spatial Computing, Artificial Intelligence Tools, Artificial Intelligence Applications, Robotic Production, 5G/6G, and others. AI and machine learning are already playing a bigger role in everyday life than one might imagine. A technology expert, Stephen Hawking, said AI would revolutionise almost every facet of modern life. “Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks,” he added. Biotechnology is advancing to the point where it is viable to alter the DNA encoded within a cell. This, according to technologists, will influence the characteristics or traits that its descendants will have. In plants, this could affect the number of leaves or their coloring, while in humans, it could affect their height, eye color, or their likelihood of developing diseases. This opens up a range of possibilities that are almost unlimited, as it means that any characteristic of a living organism that is inherited can theoretically be changed. Human-computer interfaces create wearable devices and technology that help to improve the physical and potentially mental performance of humans and help lead healthier and better lives. Perhaps the most prevalent exam-ples of wearables today are fitness tracker bands and smartwatches: small, easy to wear devices that typically monitor people’s activity and provide insights that help them lead healthier, better, more productive lives. Extended reality, or XR for short, encompasses virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality and refers to the use of technology to create more immersive digital experiences. XR Technologies offer exciting and entirely new ways for people to experience the world around them. XR technology is already finding very real applications in the world, and is likely to dramatically change the way people interact with technology. XR is also the user interface into the metaverse, the idea of a virtual universe where people can be whoever or whatever they want, while exploring the digital world of gaming, meeting up, going to events, or anything along the lines of the movie ‘Ready Player One.’ But accessibility and availability are obvious obstacles to overcome, given that XR headsets can be pricey, bulky, and clunky. However, experts said the technology will become more common, affordable, and comfortable to use, which will only increase the chance of widespread use. The biggest challenges will include privacy and the potential mental and physical impacts of highly immersive technologies.

Benefits

Technologies are beneficial to human existence as they improve people’s lives in various ways. They are useful for development in every sector, enhancing performances and increasing productivity. Emerging technologies help companies create more effective and less costly research and development processes. Photonic computing, quantum computing, biometrics and nanotechnology are a few technologies that allow companies to find new ways for researching and breaking down information and other business processes while 5G and some others enhance communication. 5G provides high speeds, low latency and massive capacity, offering the potential to change what people experience with their mobile devices, and much more. 5G and other technologies help revolutionise industries and can provide immediate impact for customers. 5G comes with other benefits such as virtual surgery, real time Communication, security, education, digital banking and smart agriculture. One of the trending technologies is AI, which is being adopted by companies. AI Artificial intelligence is set to be a “defining future technology”, but poses to affect human lives. AI is the ability of a machine to display human- like capabilities such as reasoning, learning, planning and creativity. It enables technical systems to perceive their environment, deal with what they perceive, solve problems and act to achieve a specific goal. The computer receives data – already prepared or gathered through its own sensors such as a camera – processes it and responds. AI systems are capable of adapting their behaviour to a certain degree by analysing the effects of previous actions and working autonomously. Google Search trends revealed that AI was the most searched in 2022. According to Google, AI was searched more than ever in 2022 around the world, with Nigerian users searching for the term 100 per cent more than in 2021. Nigerians searching for AI were asking questions such as “what is AI art”, “how to become an AI engineer” and “what is artificial intelligence all about.” People in Nigeria also turned to Google for advice on how to protect their privacy and security online; to learn new digital skills and grow their career – and to become more sustainable. Google, which views AI as a solution for addressing significant societal challenges, like climate change, recently shared its approach to pursuing AI responsibly, which includes the need to prioritise building and testing for safety, and prioritising its purpose for public good. Matt Brittin, President of Google Europe, the Middle East and Africa said: “It’s great to see people in Nigeria showing more of an interest in the transformational technology that is AI. AI is already a key part of many of our lives – in fact, if you use Google tools regularly, you’re probably using AI without even realising: it’s what helps Maps give you the fastest or most fuel-efficient route, or Search to find what you’re looking for. We’re continuing to pursue AI boldly and responsibly – creating tools that improve the lives of as many people as possible.”

Job loss

Despite the whole benefits of AI, it has put human jobs at great risk as thousands of people have lost their jobs. AI tool possesses capabilities that are similar to human intelligence. Experts around the world worry that the application’s popularity and usage could potentially affect many well-paid workers. An associate dean in the department of computing and information sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology, Pengcheng Shi, told the New York Post that “AI is replacing the white-collar workers. I don’t think anyone can stop that.” Already, giant tech companies such as Microsoft, Google, Meta, IBM and others have been laying off thousands of their workers due the the deployment of AI. Microsoft has laid off 10,000 of its workers and chose to invest billions into the AI technology to replace them. The rate at which people lose their jobs is rising. Industry analysts predict that people will continue to lose their jobs as AI deployment spreads. Earlier this year, Salesforce announced plans to cut off 10 per cent of its workforce to affect over 7,000 workers in the company. A few days later, Amazon also came out with its plans to lay off 18,000 people.

Professions to be affected

According to industry analysts, the sectors and jobs that are very likely to be affected by the growing popularity of AI include journalism as the technology can do the job. Though it still needs human input to write names correctly; it has potential in copy-editing, summarising, and creating headlines. Copy editing is unquestionably a skill at which it excels. It does a great job of summarizing, condensing an article, and other related tasks. Additionally, the tool excels at creating headlines. Other professions likely to be affected are Website and graphics designing; Finance, healthcare, and publishing are among the vulnerable businesses. Humans will discover how to utilize AI as it continues to make incredible progress. Also the Academics as the technology can instruct students in middle or high school. For instance, ChatGPT surpassed several people during an MBA exam taken by Penn’s Wharton School. After Darren Hick, a philosophy professor at Furman University in South Carolina detected a student cheating with the popular program, he remarked that the finding left him in “abject horror.”

Last line

With the rate of interest in the technology in Nigeria, analysts predict that many jobs could be lost in the coming years as the technology continues to improve and spread, creating higher unemployment rate in Nigeria. However, the government and the private sector are expected to look into the trend and be proactive in finding solution to a future challenge.