Blog #10: In the Age of AI

Frontline on PBS made an eye opening documentary called “In the Age of AI,” which looks at how artificial intelligence has changed society, business, and people as a whole. The documentary looks into the growth in AI technology through insightful coverage and in-depth interviews. It raises important questions about what these changes mean for work, privacy, and even the very nature of being human. It encourages viewers to think about how the transformative power of AI will change the future.

The complexity of artificial intelligence systems is growing, and there are many positive and helpful aspects that can be acknowledged because of this growth. For one, advanced AI algorithms can quickly and reliably analyze large data sets to gain insight at a faster rate than a person would be able to, and this capacity aids business, healthcare, finance, and other business decision-making. Another benefit is that manufacturing systems powered by AI can resolve man made issues, and they are quicker and more effective in manufacturing. Fanuc Robotics has been creating robots for over 35 years, and have been evolving the robots for a broader spectrum of abilities in the manufacturing world. Mike Cicco, President and CEO of Fanuc Robotics, stated “Even if there were five people on a job, and we reduced that down to two people because we automated some level of it, we might produce two times more parts than we did before because we automated it. So now there might be the need for two more fork-truck drivers, or two more quality-inspection personnel. So, although we reduce some of the people, we grow in other areas as we produce more things” (Frontline PBS, In the Age of AI, 55:10). It is more cost effective and requires less pay to employees as a whole, but this also has detrimental negative benefits to the economy and society. 

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As AI has taken over, many workers are laid off or are paid less because artificial intelligence has been taking over instead of real people working manufacturing jobs. Factories now do not have long lines of people doing repetitive manufacturing work. Now, it is full of automated machines doing the work that people used to do. Harry Cripps, an auto worker and local union president in Saginaw, Michigan, witnessed 40 years of what the increase of automation does to the economy and a town. Advanced AI systems that are made to be fast and accurate, but they also are quickly eliminating jobs that people used to do, which is detrimental for both the economy and society. Harry Cripps stated “When I increase productivity through automation, I lose jobs. Jobs go away. And I don’t care what the robot manufacturers say, you aren’t replacing those ten peroduction people that that robot is now doing that job with ten people. You can increase productivity to a level to stay competitive with the global market -- that’s what they’re trying to do” (Frontline PBS, In the Age of AI, 55:41). The number of jobs is decreasing all while manufacturing is increasing, and because of this, the middle class is dying economically. Middle class jobs are being lost to automated machines and artificial intelligence. The more AI in the workforce expands, which it will continue to, the less jobs available to the middle class there will be, causing a crash in the economy. In a Brookings article by Harry J. Holzer, Harry explained perfectly the effects of the growth of AI. “The “new automation” of the next few decades—with much more advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI)—will widen the range of tasks and jobs that machines can perform, and have the potential to cause much more worker displacement and inequality than older generations of automation. This can potentially affect college graduates and professionals much more than in the past. Indeed, the new automation will eliminate millions of jobs for vehicle drivers and retail workers, as well as those for health care workers, lawyers, accountants, finance specialists, and many other professionals” (Holzer et al. Understanding the impact of automation on workers, jobs, and wages). As these technologies develop further, they are becoming more and more capable of doing jobs that people were doing previously. This means that more people are losing jobs, and there is more inequality than in earlier stages of automation. In contrast to the past, the furthering of the AI revolution is affecting not only people who work in manufacturing already, but also college graduates. The occupational groups that are at risk are very broad, as stated in Harry’s take above, and will continue to broaden. His analysis shows how important it is to take immediate action, such as altering the education system and the workforce to deal with the problems this changing environment brings and lessen the social and economic problems that might develop further due to the fast use of AI technologies.

There are many benefits to the developing and growing use of AI, specifically in the manufacturing world. Production is high and is increasing everyday, however, the higher the usage of AI grows, the less jobs available to people there will be, causing a further decline in the economy. This is a scary wake up call, and there needs to be adjustments made in the workforce and education system to try to adapt and persevere against these technological advances in society. 

Works Cited 

1. Holzer, Harry J., et al. “Understanding the Impact of Automation on Workers, Jobs, and Wages.” Brookings, 9 Mar. 2022, www.brookings.edu/articles/understanding-the-impact-of-automation-on-workers-jobs-and-wages/. 

2. “In the Age of AI.” YouTube, YouTube, 2 Dec. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dZ_lvDgevk.