PAs, EAs and other administrative and business support professionals are seeing some of their tasks replaced by AI and naturally fear for more to come. This doesn’t mean that the role is disappearing, rather it’s evolving to a more strategic one. It’s no surprise that searches for โJob loss due to AIโ have skyrocketed over 5,000% in the last 12 months alone. This comes in addition to reports that two out of three employees in Europe are concerned about their job being at risk. But how likely are you to actually lose your job?
To help Brits combat some of their AI fears, Christoph C. Cemper, on behalf of AIPRM, has provided his thoughts on how AI can be utilised to benefit our working lives , as well as debunking common myths.
How likely are you to lose your job due to AI? The most common AI fears debunked
1. Job replacement and unemployment
Almost half (46%) of the UK believes AI will impact their job in some way over the next five years, with one in ten (10%) worrying that the tool will replace their role and lead to widespread unemployment and social unrest.
Christoph C. Cemper debunks this myth explaining that: โWhilst the tool has the capability to automate certain tasks and the power to create new jobs, AI also proves to be beneficial by freeing up time for more strategic and creative work, as well as assisting with tasks to improve business efficiency and flexibility with workers focusing on higher-level assignments.โ
2. Loss of human identity and autonomy
Almost three in five Brits (59%) fear AI could negatively affect our dependency and loss of human skills. Many believe that AI will control our lives, make decisions on our behalf and erode our autonomy and individuality.
Christoph comments: โAI-powered systems are designed to augment human capabilities, not replace them. Humans will continuously have the final say in decision-making processes, and AI will provide recommendations based on data analysis, improving our overall quality of life and autonomy through more informed choices.โ
3. Bias and discrimination
Some Brits worry that the new AI systems will perpetuate and amplify existing biases, with only 43% of UK residents highlighting their trust in the new tool not to discriminate or show bias towards other people.
Christoph shared his thoughts on fears of bias by suggesting: โThese biases we may view are the mirror of the real world but it is up to humans to effectively remove them. However, AI is capable of helping to identify and remove biases, enabling a fairer decision-making process, which in turn, will reflect what really is going on, without political or socially wanted counter-biases.โ
4. Privacy and surveillance
Privacy and surveillance has been around for a long time which may be why it is a concern when integrating AI into our daily lives, as a third (33%) of Brits revealed that data privacy was a key concern.
Christoph C. Cemper of AIPRM shared: โArtificial Intelligence has the strength to not only be a surveillance tool, but also a device to protect, detect and prevent cyber attacks. Making smaller AI models on everyoneโs phone could allow a new level of pattern detections of such attacks for everyone. AI systems can help secure personal data, prevent identity theft and ensure online interactions are protected better from malicious activities.โ
5. Lack of transparency and clarity
Only two-thirds (66%) of the public are able to give a partial explanation of what AI is, indicating an understanding gap of how these new systems work, make or influence decisions. This lack of transparency can result in people not trusting AI.
AI expert Christoph revealed: โResearchers are working on developing explainable AI, which can provide transparent and interpretable decision-making processes. AI can provide insights into complex systems and decision-making processes, improving transparency and accountability in areas such as finance, healthcare and governance. With AI clearly summarised, we could reach new levels of transparency impossible to produce today.โ
About the methodology:
- AIPRM wanted to share how using artificial intelligence, and similar tools, can help our daily lives, remove any fears and show how being open to the tool can result in great benefits.
- All data was collected April 2024, and is accurate as of then.
Adam Fidler, PA Life’s career development columnist, believes firmly that the EA role will never be ousted by AI.
