Mission: Employable

Rebooting your career for the age of AI

How much impact does Artificial Intelligence have on your job? On Philadelphia’s job market? The answers – and opportunities – may surprise you.

For most people, the scary thing about AI is that it’ll take their job – a pretty realistic fear, honestly. Employers love AI’s tireless and impeccable productivity on many marketable tasks: data-entry, shipping, product assembly, analysis and calculations. They’re even good at customer service, thanks to advances in problem-solving and empathy. And they’re just going to get better…. At everything…

To give you some idea, here are some of the jobs we’ll likely lose as AI becomes more mainstream:

👋👋👋

Accountants/bookkeepers/payroll – While humans will be needed for high-level documentation and analysis, all the legwork (data entry, sorting, completing forms, etc) will be easily automated.

Audio/video production – AI actors and voiceovers are getting more realistic every day; robotic cameras and drones can capture footage from POV to birds’ eye view, and even isolate certain people, animals, activities, etc. with exacting focus.

Couriers/warehouse workers – Loading, lifting, inventory, delivery: all these jobs will be done by drones and robots, soon.

Paralegals – AI is faster and (generally) more accurate than humans at: legal research, drafting documents, analyzing contracts, and performing other various administrative tasks. And the technology is improving every day. We may always need lawyers to argue complex cases, but the clock is ticking on paralegals.

Proofreaders/translators — Already there are lots of AI-powered tools writers can use to check spelling & grammar, and even optimize text for readability. Devices and phone apps already exist that can translate spoken language in real time.

Radiologists — Smart machines are already really good at spotting pathologies in medical imaging. A study in 2019 found that AI outperformed human doctors, catching 5% more cancers with 11% fewer false positives.

Retail sales, customer service, receptionists —  Most inquiries can be handled by bot: product info, package tracking, billing, booking, and other assistance. AI will also study your account history and steer you to products & services you might need or like.

Security personnel — AI cameras can see way better than humans in adapting to light, spotting motion, and zooming in on questionable objects. They can be trained to identify specific threats and potentially act autonomously. They can also be stronger and faster than humans, too (Google “Boston Dynamics” if you have any doubt).

Social media – A no-brainer for AI, which is expert at headlines and captions. CNET and BuzzFeed already use AI to generate new content, and today on YouTube there are hundreds of AI-generated channels.

Surgical assistants — Robot-assisted surgery already allows doctors to perform complex procedures with more precision and control. While the lead role of surgeon won’t be replaced anytime soon, surgical assistants will be unnecessary.

It’s not as hopeless as it looks! While AI will be eliminating millions of jobs, it’s also creating whole new careers, and opening space in existing industries for growth and self-expression. Think of AI as a general-purpose technology – like electricity – that will energize every level of society. The only people AI will put out of work will be those who refuse to work with it.

Even if almost every task can be done by machine, humans will still be needed for repairs, for quality control, for planning, and for innovation. Even advanced AI depends on pre-existing information to learn; it lacks the ability to create anything truly new or original. So basically, as AI takes over the means of mass production, our value as unique individuals becomes more defined.

Knowing this, we can put AI to work for us with a free tool available to everyone: personal branding. By creating an active social media presence for the job we seek, we build a virtual path – a digital footprint – for prospective employers to find us as their ideal candidate.

Indeed, most companies rely on AI to screen job candidates today, which often includes analyzing your social media and online behavior while it’s cataloging your resume.

Here’s where your personal brand comes in.

Let’s say you’re unsatisfied with your job and want a better one at a bigger firm. Before sending out resumes, showcase your experience online – you don’t need a fancy website, there are many clear and polished templates that make it easy. You’d also want to get active on networking platforms, sharing insights and engaging with colleagues. And then try to remember to like/comment/share a few industry articles per week, and add some new content to your website and social media regularly.

It’s not as involved as it sounds, and it’s so worth it, to breeze past automated filters that often disqualify less-visible applicants. You’ll likely stand out from the competition in the interview stage, as well, with plenty of material for reference and discussion. It’s a win for employers and a win for you! Seems amazing but it’s true: by manifesting the career you want virtually, you can make it happen in real life.

I can help! I’m a local digital marketing specialist with 6+ years optimizing personal and business profiles for today’s dynamic, evolving media landscape. I’d be happy to connect! Let’s talk more about the ideas expressed here, and brainstorm ways social, digital marketing can level up your life.

SAFE JOBS IN AN AI WORLD

Human skillsets remain in high-demand in the following industries:

Ad Executives – New campaigns depend on fresh ideas, so creatives will likely be working with AI “artists” to keep us buying their stuff.

Construction — AI can design and engineer but it can’t hammer nails, lay bricks, or accomplish many of the fine motor tasks (and back-breaking efforts) required to erect a building. Humans also can be more adaptive, based on personal experience and know-how.

Editors – While AI can generate readable text and translations, they don’t yet understand nuance and intent, nor can they edit content based on how an audience might perceive certain aspects of it.

Event Planners – AI will certainly help with planning and executing a successful event, but otherwise even just envisioning an event requires a human’s creativity, experience, understanding of the audience as well as the goals of the host.

Fine Dining – When it comes to fast food or other convenience items, humans will mostly likely be replaced by robots  (they already work the grill at some White Castles). But for high-end dining, humans will be key for creating a unique, memorable experience from service to menu to a handshake from the chef.

PR Managers – People will always need people, and as the media landscape continues to change, it’ll be crucial to have someone personable to manage your accounts and facilitate your connections. AI lacks the ability to connect emotionally, and also they don’t have any social circles for networking.

Teachers and Educators – Certainly, AI and bots will be able to assist learning across the globe, especially for high-school and college students who can learn through research and application. Younger children, however, have a much stronger need for human interaction, and would be much harder to replace.

Psychology & Counseling – Conversational chatbots are already a $4.7 billion industry, and although they’re certainly up to the task of a basic mental health consultation (and can even guide users though exercises like meditations and cognitive reinforcement), real empathy requires a real human therapist.

Writers/Authors – AI can spit out basic text (and it’s pretty good at rhyming!), but it’s unlikely it’ll be able to match human creativity in inventing stories and dialog. Copy writers and journalists, though, will probably be edged out as AI gets better at documenting, analyzing, and interpreting information.

Questions? Comments? Please add them below or reach out to Terrence Harris @teejaynews on FB, IG, YouTube & TikTok