How artificial intelligence will affect your profession

As AI steers on its evolutionary path its impact on professions is evident and unsettling for many. FILE PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK  

By JASHON OWANO More by this Author

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human-like capabilities and intelligence in programmed machines to perform tasks requiring human interactive skills such as...

adaptive reasoning and problem-solving.

As AI steers on its evolutionary path, daily becoming better, its impact on professions is evident and unsettling for many.

The four trends in AI that continue to be applied across industries are machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP) and autonomous systems.

Machine learning, which entails the use of systemic algorithms to analyse existing Big Data to make objective inferential judgements and predictions has caused a stir.

Commercial Institutions use this technology to realise patterns that human capabilities would miss to understand customer behaviours and design strategies for products or services.

In the healthcare sector, ML has been used to improve patient treatment experience through better diagnoses.

Natural language processing (NLP) Is the attempt at algorithms to understand and interpret human language and social interactivity.

You must have met chatbots or automated voice assistants like Siri. This technology has largely been explored by integrating them into other technologies and user platforms — customer engagement and digital marketing platforms to analyse customer queries and interactivity with the system and provide on-the-minute personalised responses as would have humans.

The education sector is grappling with the challenges of the AI platform ChatGPT, which can generate correct responses to whatever prompts it is fed with, to the extent of passing exams in fields it was tested in.

Autonomous systems are machine creations that can operate entirely without human intervention. Think of the self-drive cars or drones that have been a buzz.

Such drones with adaptive cruise control have been used to help make discoveries in outer space or closer home and deliver humanitarian support such as search-and-rescue operations or food aid deliveries.

These machines have been fitted with micro-readers, sensors, scanners cameras, and other technologies to be able to navigate and make optimal decisions based on the situation at play.

The fear that AI is here to take jobs is not far-fetched. One area that AI has had a clean sweep at is the automation of routine and repetitive tasks.

This poses a direct threat to manual Jobs or those whose roles are hinged on routine processes. Through machine learning and robotics, personalised AI creations can execute such routines faster and with finessed precision than humans.

In this regard, only those professionals that allow themselves to learn, unlearn and relearn while adapting to new technologies and ways of working will survive.

On the other hand, AI is also creating new jobs and transforming existing ones. But this is entirely open only to those willing to upskill.

For instance, AI is enabling the development of new products and services that were not possible before.

These jobs require a high level of technical expertise and an understanding of AI and its applications, which is a further opportunity for professionals to improve their skills, expand their knowledge, and take advantage of new technologies.

AI is here to stay. The earlier we agree on that the better it is for everyone. Just this month(March) alone we have seen ChatGPT 4 launched and Microsoft’s own AI-powered system announced.

The Microsoft 365 Co-pilot will literally do most if not everything you usually do on your machine from creating documents on Word, to data analysis on Excel and even take priority notes from that teams meeting your team did have.

Than fight the losing battle, it is essential that all professionals evolve and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies, and to adapt to new ways of working to leverage their productivity.

The uncertainty should not make us miss the silver lining in the opportunities and skills to thrive in an AI-driven world.

The writer is the Managing Director at DataClave Ltd.