Gen Z, the first generation to grow up with the internet, is also pushing caution as it faces the sudden rise of artificial intelligence (AI). They are wary of how AI could overturn their ways of life and careers as they have witnessed the fast pace of evolution in technology.
According to surveys conducted by tech education company General Assembly in recent months, 62% of Gen Z workers said they think their jobs could be replaced by AI within the next 10 years. The reports are based on surveys of 1,180 employed adults in the U.S. and 393 executives in the U.K.
More companies have found AI as an excuse to lay off workers over the past year. An outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas found over 4,600 job cuts in the U.S. that were attributed to AI between May of last year and February. Yet this number is probably an understatement as the senior vice president of the firm told Bloomberg that its “certainly undercounting”.
Younger workers feel a huge threat while most executives are unfazed
The surveys also show that only 6% of directors and VP-level executives see AI as a risk to their roles. This mismatch is a function of the power differential between junior employees and senior decision-makers, particularly during layoffs or discussions about how AI can bring more efficiency to the workplace.
A point where workers may be particularly anxious is the start of their careers, and Gen Z workers are starting their careers.
Seasoned executives aren’t worried about it, because their experience is not easily replicable by AI – Lupe Colangel, Director of alumni engagement and employer partnerships at General Assembly
The Director at General Assembly, Lupe Colangelo, told Fortune that people who are in entry-level roles are just doing repetitive work that AI can do. These people are going to be the ones most vulnerable to being replaced.
These concerns are not invalid, she said, as AI can now do basic tasks that used to be handled by junior staff.
AI does only 20% of 50% of a person’s job as per Nvidia’s CEO
Reflecting the same stance at Nvidia’s October AI Summit, the company’s CEO Jensen Huang said that AI will only take over parts of a job, but it’s the person who knows how to use AI that will thrive. He said “the person who uses AI to automate” 20% of their job is “going to take your job.”
Employers said younger workers tend to lack soft skills, namely communication and time management, Colangelo emphasized. As more and more independent and technical things are taken on by AI, these skills become critical.
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