The movement towards the singularity has taken a huge step forward with the arrival of artificial intelligence as a part of everyday life which cannot be ignored for the future of every aspect of life including business. There are many areas of both concern and excitement revolving around the use of the latest technology within the business world which are being explored by those in traditional technology-based sectors such as Web Development specialist, David Lubbat; the problem facing many business and technology experts is whether we should fear the arrival of self-learning computers or welcome it as the next step in human evolution.
Many of those who are calling for limits to be placed on the movement towards a greater level of regulation for artificially created intelligence point to the changes taking place during the industrial revolution of the 19th-century as signs of both the success and failures of the changing face of society. Wired reports both Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking have given warnings about the changing face of business and science under the influence of computers with the ability to learn and think for themselves in different ways.
Stephen Hawking’s warning comes from a sense of fear for the future of the human race while Gates believes the major issue is a lack of preparation on behalf of governments and business groups for the coming changes which will follow. In general, business leaders will be forced to adapt to the changing landscape of the business world across a range of industrial sectors which will see a large number of blue and white-collar jobs lost to the arrival of an army of robot workers. The major disruptions which could be seen in the business world are the loss of a workforce which may have an effect on the ability of consumers to purchase items in the short term as the era of mass employment may come to an end, at least in the short term.
The Guardian reports a study from Merrill Lynch expects around 47 percent of blue and white-collar workers to lose their jobs in the U.S. alone as robots begin to take the roles traditionally undertaken by low-skilled workers. The fear of a loss of work is not a new one for the masses as the changing face of the U.S. economy underwent huge changes in the 20th-century as mass employment remained in place across the nation. At the outset of the 20th-century, agriculture was the main employer of low-skilled workers providing around 40 percent of all employment in the U.S. which fell to less than 10 percent by 1960. Over the course of the last three centuries, the evolution of the workforce has often shifted but intelligent robots could create a major shift in how we do business and who we do business with.
One of the areas of business which has already begun to embrace artificial intelligence is the marketing sector which is already filled with apps and specialist software capable of performing many of the tasks usually reserved for human beings. Marketing software is now used to examine data and identify the latest trends which need to be embraced by clients of specific companies. Despite the growing influence of intelligent software to aid in the development of marketing plans the transformation of the industry still leaves space for humans to take up important roles including those of handling clients and working through the vast amounts of data already produced by software classed as artificial intelligence. Freeing up the time of executives and employees at all levels means many of those who are working in a specific industry will have to work to build a range of different skills across different areas which will allow workers to take up many different roles across a company.
One of the areas those who feel AI will eventually disrupt the fabric of society and business beyond repair ignore is the fact society must adapt to the changing nature of a business world constructed around robots capable of independent thought. The elimination of the majority of jobs will shift the focus of society to leisure over business and require a shift in government policy Bill Gates claims is not yet prepared for the oncoming changes; in order to continue the consumer-based society capitalism thrives on the introduction of a universal living allowance could be an option to ensure business remains an important factor for society. Web Development specialist David Lubbat in an article for Patch points to the rise of virtual reality software capable of adapting to the needs of users as a sign of how the leisure industry is already accepting the changes coming to modern society and will lead the way in transforming society and the business world through AI in the coming decades.