Geoffrey Hinton, Godfather of AI, Warns that AI Will Take Over These Human Jobs

Artificial Intelligence is getting so smart that it might leaves millions of people without jobs. Geoffrey Hinton, the British-Canadian computer scientist, also called as the Godfather of AI, says this is a warning. He was one of the first to develop neural networks that underlie most powerful systems of today including ChatGPT. 

Hinton in a recent interview on the Diary of a CEO said he is worried that AI wouldn’t steal a few jobs but take away most of them leaving many people jobless. This is especially true for jobs that require thinking, like writing, designing, managing, and helping customers.

AI Can Already Beat Us in Many Ways

Hinton warned that AI is growing better at intellectual tasks like sending emails, summarising documents, and answering support questions.  For example, he mentioned that his niece used to spend 25 minutes composing answers to consumer complaints. Now she employs a chatbot to finish the job in five minutes and then checks the result.  "That means she can do the work of five people."  He said, "So they won't need as many people to do that job." This is already happening in many fields. He cautioned that while some jobs could get better with AI assistance, a lot of other could just go away.

What Jobs Are at Risk?

Hinton feels that the AI revolution is worse than improvements in technology like ATMs or computers.  This time, it's not only doing physical work or chores, it's also using your head.  He thinks that AI could soon be able to do things like office and administrative work, legal and research duties, basic journalism and content creation, customer service and help desks and even some areas of healthcare and education. 

Jobs That Are Safe

Hinton says that the safest jobs that AI can't simply copy are jobs like skilled trades including plumbing, electrical work, and repairs, healthcare that you do yourself like nursing, physiotherapy. AI will also have a tough tie beating jobs that require emotion or are creative in nature. 

Hinton thinks that we are entering a time when "having a strong brain" could become as easy to replace as "having strong muscles" did during the industrial revolution. 

Hinton fear that superintelligent AI, or machines that are smarter than people at everything, might not be as far away as we think.  He believes that in 20 years or maybe even less, we could reach a point where AI is better than us at almost everything Even if we assume we are in charge, humans might not be in charge in that future.

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