The increase in generative AI, like chatbots and image generators, has shaken the tech industry – many companies have jumped headlong into the technology, designing new artificial intelligence tools and leading executives to promise investors that the advancements would revolutionize the world and help them make a lot of money. Long-standing concerns that AI would take jobs away from humans have become more urgent as lawmakers debate how to legislate the technology.
Some people who write for a living have already lost their job as businesses turn to chatbots for advertising or social media copy. Hollywood writers obtained protections against being forced to work with AI-generated hardware as part of their new union contract last year. Many computer coders report using AI to generate code, which helps them move forward faster. A study published in 2023 by the Pew Research Center stated that approximately 20% of American employees are in jobs with “high exposure» to AI, such as tax preparers, writers and web developers.
But overall, it’s unclear how or even if the AI revolution will significantly affect work. It’s also unclear what exactly this new group will do.
Cisco announcement The group said it would focus on producing a report with “actionable insights for business leaders and workers.” It will study how AI could change work for 56 types of tech jobs, but the announcement doesn’t detail what those jobs are. A Cisco spokesperson said the companies were working to determine which jobs the report would focus on. Spokespeople for Google, Microsoft, CWA and AFL-CIO did not respond to requests for additional information about the group.
Companies often form task forces or write reports on issues facing their industries in an effort to tilt the debate in their favor. Technology companies are among the biggest spenders on lobbying over the past decade, first as Congress attempted to regulate social media and now as lawmakers turn their attention to AI.
Many tech executives have spoken publicly about “reskilling” or “upskilling” workers as the economy evolves, essentially providing training for people to learn new skills. But these same companies have often laid off tens of thousands of employees.
In conferences, interviews and calls to report results, most AI company executives ignore concerns about job losses. They argue that while technology could replace some jobs, it will largely make existing workers more efficient by removing tedious tasks like reading long documents or sorting through databases. Google and Microsoft are integrating AI into their software tools, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Outlook, presenting them as capable of writing emails or summarizing meeting notes.
