Half of current jobs will be taken over by AI within 15 years, China’s leading AI expert has warned.
Kai-Fu Lee, the author of bestselling book AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, told Dailymail.com the world of employments was facing a crisis ‘akin to that faced by farmers during the industrial revolution.’
‘People aren’t really fully aware of the effect AI will have on their jobs,’ he said.
Kai-Fu Lee, the author of AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, told Dailymail.com the world of employments was facing a crisis ‘akin to that faced by farmers during the industrial revolution.’
Lee, who is a VC in China and once headed up Google in the region, has over 30 years of experience in AI.
He believe it is imperative to ‘warn people there is displacement coming, and to tell them how they can start retraining.’
Luckily, he said all is not lost for humanity.
‘AI is powerful and adaptable, but it can’t do everything that humans do.’
Lee believe AI cannot create, conceptualize, or do complex strategic planning, or undertake complex work that requires precise hand-eye coordination.
He also says it is poor at dealing with unknown and unstructured spaces.
Crucially, he says AI cannot interact with humans ‘exactly like humans’, with empathy, human-human connection, and compassion.
Psychiatrists, social workers and marriage counselors are unlikely to lose their jobs, along with nurses, AI researchers and scientists, he believes.
However, some jobs will disappear- and quickly.
Most at risk are telemarketers and telesales people, Lee said, pointing to Google’s controversial AI bot system that can fool humans as an example of the future.
‘You’ve probably already received robo-calls, but future calls will be more natural,’ he says.
‘AI can use customer profiles, past purchases, and emotional recognition to find ways to appeal to them – even using a soothing female voice or a persuasive male voice.’
Lee also said customer support, warehouse workers and telephone operators are at risk.
The key to jobs in the future will be empathy, he said.
‘AI is powerful and adaptable, but it can’t do everything that humans do’ Kai-Fu Lee told Dailymail.com
‘Human to human interaction is safe, providing comfort and satisfaction is safe.
He also warned education will also have to change dramatically to encourage a new way of thinking, making people ‘more individualistic, and more empathetic’.
‘We also need to focus on what children want to do and show particular passion and talent for something, we need to encourage them to go for it.
‘Super talent in children will be found earlier.
‘Parents need to know whatever they thought was right, is probably wrong.
‘You need to let your kids go after what they love, and encourage them.
‘Make sure they spend a lot of time understanding why it is important to help people, and why communication skills are important – don’t play on the phone all the time.’
He also warned many millennials will need to re-balance their life to focus on social skills – but is confident they will be able to adapt.