Machines won't steal your jobs, says expert

Dr Noah Radford says machines have extraordinary potential not only in business applications but also in arts and creativity.

Talking robots and machines depicted in movies are no longer products of imagination, but the cognitive computing is already becoming reality.
Think talking TARS in science fiction film Interstellar or the talking teddy bear in A.I. Artificial Intelligence film.
While much ink has been spilled over the threats such machines can pose on human interaction, experts said AI will improve our quality of life and transform our workplace like never before.
Studies showed that AI will replace 50 per cent of all jobs by 2025, but Dr Noah Raford, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said conclusions can be deceptive.
"Your job isn't one thing but a combination of series of tasks. If you break down tasks you're given on daily basis, you will see a spectrum from extremely predictable physical information work to extremely specific relational work."
Raford noted that as AI handles parts of people's day, such as responding to emails and scheduling meetings, it then becomes a colleague. "Intelligent robots won't handle specific human relation interaction, but will become a tool in serving and supporting the human being. Therefore, it isn't very effective for us as governments and colleagues to think that robots will be stealing our jobs," said Raford. He added that AI should be thought of as "New Collar Jobs."
A total of 90 per cent of data that has ever generated in the entire history of human race has been created in the last two years.
And while the world generated 100GB/day in 1992, in 2017 we generate 50,000 GB per second, which is equivalent to 1,500 iPhones put on top of each other per second. With the massive amounts of data generated and the rapid growth of intelligence of machines, AI is becoming a necessity in improving the quality of life.
"Machines are rapidly growing more intelligent every year. They don't only have extraordinary potential in business applications but also in arts and creativity: things that matter to us as human beings," said Raford.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE