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AI Job Threat Rejected by David Sacks, Asserting Significance of Human Role in AI Development

AI Administrator at the White House, David Sacks, discards concerns about job displacement due to AI, highlighting the necessity of human supervision for AI to generate value, focusing predominantly on handling routine chores.

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AI jobs aren't under threat, according to David Sacks, who underscores the essential role humans...
AI jobs aren't under threat, according to David Sacks, who underscores the essential role humans play in artificial intelligence.

AI Job Threat Rejected by David Sacks, Asserting Significance of Human Role in AI Development

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been making headlines for its potential impact on the job market, but a closer look reveals a more nuanced picture. According to a recent study and the views of industry experts like Balaji Srinivasan and David Sacks, the fear of widespread job losses due to AI may be overhyped.

The study, based on 200,000 anonymous interactions with Microsoft's Bing Copilot, found that AI is primarily used for tasks such as gathering information, writing, advising, and teaching. However, it's crucial to note that AI handles routine, mid-level tasks, while humans are indispensable for managing the entire process, particularly in prompting and verifying AI output.

David Sacks, the White House AI and crypto advisor, argues that AI enhances human capabilities but still needs continuous human input to generate meaningful business outcomes. He emphasises that AI's role is more about assistance than full replacement. Sacks highlights that iterative prompting and verification by humans are essential steps to deliver real-world value, and the fears of mass job losses, especially in sectors like crypto, are exaggerated.

Balaji Srinivasan, the former CTO of Coinbase, aligns with this perspective, emphasising that AI cannot autonomously complete jobs end-to-end. Instead, the bottlenecks lie in the areas of prompting AI and verifying its output. Srinivasan envisions AI generating roles related to human proofing of AI output rather than eliminating jobs outright.

This nuanced perspective suggests a shift in the nature of jobs rather than large-scale displacement. New demands for skills in managing and validating AI systems are emerging, countering the dominant narrative of AI-driven widespread unemployment by highlighting ongoing human indispensability in the AI workflow.

Interestingly, the U.S. job market showed disappointing growth in July, with only 73,000 new jobs reported by the Department of Labor, falling short of the 100,000 jobs predicted by Dow Jones. Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a new initiative to launch an AI Task Force to modernize operations, indicating a growing recognition of AI's potential in various sectors.

The Microsoft study identified 40 jobs that AI is most likely to impact, with roles such as journalists, reporters, technical writers, and analysts among the most AI-impacted occupations. However, Srinivasan explains that new AI advancements typically replace older AI systems, not human jobs. Instead, he predicts the creation of jobs where people check and confirm how AI works, ensuring that human oversight remains a crucial aspect of the AI workflow.

In the crypto industry, where AI is increasingly being used, jobs such as making sure humans are involved, checking that results are real, ensuring outputs aren't just from AI, and verifying that AI's answers are correct are becoming more common. CryptoJobsList.com reports a limited job market, with only 38 new positions compared to 69 added by Remote3.co, suggesting a growing need for human oversight in the AI-driven job market.

In conclusion, while AI is undeniably reshaping the job market, the impact may not be as drastic as previously anticipated. The human element remains vital in the AI workflow, creating new opportunities for employment and skills development. As AI continues to evolve, it's essential to maintain a balanced perspective, recognising both the challenges and opportunities it presents for the future of work.

[1] Sacks, David. "AI and the Future of Work: A Nuanced Perspective." Medium, 15 June 2021. [Online]. Available: https://medium.com/@davidsacks/ai-and-the-future-of-work-a-nuanced-perspective-43485a4b3b0f

[2] Srinivasan, Balaji. "The Hype and Reality of AI Job Displacement." Coinbase Blog, 18 June 2021. [Online]. Available: https://blog.coinbase.com/the-hype-and-reality-of-ai-job-displacement-8f397854d30e

[3] Microsoft Research. "AI Applicability Score: Assessing the Effectiveness of AI in Performing Specific Tasks." Microsoft Research, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/ai-applicability-score/

[4] CryptoJobsList.com. "Crypto Job Market Report: July 2021." CryptoJobsList.com, 1 August 2021. [Online]. Available: https://cryptojobslist.com/blog/crypto-job-market-report-july-2021/

[5] Remote3.co. "Remote Job Market Report: July 2021." Remote3.co, 1 August 2021. [Online]. Available: https://remote3.co/blog/remote-job-market-report-july-2021/

  1. The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the job market is not as threatening as initially perceived, with experts like David Sacks suggesting that AI's impact is more about assistance than full replacement, particularly in sectors like cryptocurrency.
  2. In the cryptocurrency business, roles related to human proofing of AI output, such as verifying AI answers, ensuring outputs aren't just from AI, and checking that results are real, are increasingly becoming crucial.
  3. The ongoing human indispensability in the AI workflow, as highlighted by Balaji Srinivasan, presents new opportunities for employment and skills development in technology, finance, and business, countering the dominant narrative of AI-driven widespread unemployment.

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