Why the Role of A.I. in the Job Market Is Very Much a Business Decision Technical Professionals Can Contribute to

Lately there is a lot of talk about AIs potentially taking people’s jobs in the future and how this is either catastrophic, or some kind of utopia (or, less often, some other stance in between). Although we as data science and A.I. professionals have little to do with the high-level decisions that have some influence on this future, perhaps we are not so detached from the reality of the situation. I’m not talking about the A.I. choir that is happy to recite its fantasies about an A.I.-based future that is akin to the sci-fi films that monetize this idea. I’m talking about grounded professionals who have some experience in the development of A.I. systems, be it for data science or other fields of application.

The problem with business decisions is that they are by their nature related to quite complex problems. As such, it is practically impossible to solve them in a clear-cut manner that doesn't invite reactions, or at least some debate. That’s why those individuals who have the courage to make these decisions are paid so handsomely. It’s not the time they put in, but the responsibility they undertake, that makes their role of value. However, it is important to make these decision as future-proof as possible, something that these individuals may not be able to do on their own. That’s why they have advisors and consultants, after all. Besides, even if some of the decision-makers are technical and can understand the A.I. matters, they may lack the granularity of comprehension that an A.I. professional has.

People who make business decisions often see A.I. as a valuable resource that can help their organization in many ways (particularly cut down on some costs, via automation or increased efficiency in time-consuming or expensive processes). However, they may not always see the implications of these moves and the shortcomings of this, still not yet mature, technology. A.I. systems are not objective, nor immune to errors. After all, most of them are black boxes, so whatever processes they have in place for their outputs are usually beyond our reach, and oftentimes beyond our comprehension. Just like it is impossible to be sure what processes drive our decisions based on our brain patterns, it is perhaps equally challenging to pinpoint how exactly the decisions of an A.I. are forged. That’s something that is probably not properly communicated to the decision makers on A.I. matters, along with the fact that AIs cannot undertake responsibility for these decisions, no matter how sophisticated these marvels of computing are.

Perhaps some more education and investigation into the nature of A.I. and its limitations is essential for everyone who has a say in this matter. It would be irresponsible to expect one set of people to navigate through this on their own and then blame them if their decisions are not good enough or able to withstand the test of time. This is a matter that concerns us all and as such we all need to think about it and find ways to contribute to the corresponding decisions. A.I. can be a great technology and integrate well in the job market, if we approach it responsibly and with views based on facts rather than wishful thinking.