Generative artificial intelligence will trigger major changes in the U.S. labor market by 2030, according to a new report from Forrester Analytics. The report predicts that generative AI will directly replace 2.4 million jobs, and will also have a profound impact on the work content and responsibilities of another 11 million jobs. This change will reshape the modern workplace landscape and force companies and employees to rethink their career paths.
The report specifically pointed out that white-collar work will be hit by generative AI first. Jobs that require human intelligence in traditional cognition, such as technical writing, social science research assistants, proofreaders, copywriters and administrative positions, will face the risk of being replaced by AI systems. These tasks often involve repetitive tasks and standardized processes, which are areas that generative AI is best at handling.
However, creative industry workers may usher in different development opportunities. Careers such as editors, writers, authors and poets are more likely to use generative AI as a creative tool rather than being completely replaced by it. AI can help these professionals improve their creative efficiency and provide a source of inspiration, but ultimate artistic decisions and emotional expression still require unique creativity from human beings.
Although generative AI will cause automation unemployment to rise to 30.4%, this number is still relatively low compared to other forms of automation. This reflects that the ability of generative AI to replace human work has not yet reached full coverage, and also implies that humans still have irreplaceable advantages in complex decision-making and creative work.
Faced with this change, companies need to take positive measures to respond. First, enterprises should systematically analyze the characteristics of each job and determine which positions are most suitable for automated transformation. Secondly, companies need to invest in employee training to help existing employees master new skills to adapt to work needs in the AI era. This dual strategy will help companies retain and develop their human capital while increasing their efficiency.
The transformation brought about by generative AI is both a challenge and an opportunity. It requires us to rethink the nature of work while providing possibilities for creating new job opportunities and career paths. With the continuous advancement of technology, how to balance the relationship between AI and human work will become the core issue of workplace development in the next decade.