By Jaydeep Nair, Associate Director, TresVista
Generative AI represents a cutting-edge frontier in the field of artificial intelligence, with the remarkable ability to produce original content across various platforms. This technology operates by absorbing a vast dataset, learning from it, and then applying that knowledge to generate new creations. Its applications span from simplifying content creation processes to enhancing the richness of digital experiences.
Despite all its prowess, there are certain key limitations that AI operates within. AI is far from perfect, but there is a widespread misconception of a science-fiction-like future where an honest day’s work will be replaced by cheaper, faster, and more efficient AI software. While this scenario is a great premise for an action movie, it is highly unlikely to occur in real life, due to the following reasons:
1. AI is not an independent technology
The media often portrays AI as something akin to human intelligence – learning, adapting, and making decisions on its own. But in reality, AI functions by strategically mixing work done by human minds. The capabilities of AI lie in its ability to go through large amounts of data to identify patterns and make predictions based on that data. But, without human intervention, AI systems have a limited understanding of the context and the nuances of human language.
It is also essential to recognize that Generative AI is not a replacement for human creativity; rather, it serves as a companion. Its purpose lies in enhancing the creative capabilities of individuals. Handling the heavy lifting of data processing and pattern recognition frees humans to focus on the nuanced aspects of creativity. With a human- in-the-loop system, AI needs human intervention starting from the input to testing to providing a continuous feedback loop that subsequently provides better results. This synergy between human ingenuity and machine efficiency opens doors to innovative approaches across various domains, and is the only way AI can function for the considerable future.
2. Historically, humans have evolved around new technologies
With all the hyperbole surrounding generative AI eliminating jobs, the cases of companies actually laying off employees are very few. This is apparent in history as well – whenever a new invention or technology is brought into the market, our systems evolve around it rather than any type of replacement of human roles. Take the example of the ‘Shorthand’, a person who writes in abbreviated symbolic writing that increases the speed and brevity of taking notes. With laptops and voice-to-speech technologies in the picture, certain aspects of these jobs became automated. But, it is important to remember that critical human skills like creativity and emotional intelligence are still highly valued and cannot be replicated by machines. These teams might not be in demand currently as they were a few years back, but the advent of these technologies created a plethora of new jobs and led to the advancement and expansion of the job market worldwide.
Undoubtedly, AI will lead to some personnel change, especially ones that require lower cognitive skills, but it will create a lot more opportunities due to the need for people to maintain, refine, and update new technologies. The net result is more akin to ‘disruption’ rather than ‘elimination.’
The advent of AI will help create new types of higher value-add jobs, replacing others that become redundant. But, as the world comes to expect AI-enhanced work that is faster and more efficient, the working public needs to embrace this technology, learn to harness its potential and upskill themselves to keep up. AI will not replace humans; but humans embracing AI will replace those who don’t.