Annotated Bibliography and Research Proposal: AI Eliminating Jobs

Pahlavan, Babak, and Behnam Tabrizi. “Companies That Replace People with AI Will Get Left
Behind.” Harvard Business Review, 29 June 2023,
hbr.org/2023/06/companies-that-replace-people-with-ai-will-get-left-behind.

This article acknowledges the elimination of jobs, particularly white-collar careers, due to the emergence
of Artificial Intelligence. Published in June of 2023, the authors suggest that like with electrification and
computation, short-term job losses, while considerable, may lead to long-term job creation in other areas.
Additionally, boldness in innovation and adopting start-up mentalities may help stem job loss in the near
future as society attempts to catch up to AI in regards to job creation. I would use the information in this
article to acknowledge the elimination of jobs due to AI as well as formulate a game-plan of searching out
the careers and companies that will adopt bold strategies and processes to prevent mass job losses.

Sun, Tianqi. “Is Ai Taking over the Job Market?” Michigan Journal of Economics, 1 Jan. 2024,
sites.lsa.umich.edu/mje/2024/01/03/is-ai-taking-over-the-job-market/.

This article, from January of 2024, grapples with the very real possibility of mass extinction of jobs due to
Artificial Intelligence. The author cites K. Narayan, who in 2023 published an article in The Economic
Times, and states that 85 million jobs could be lost to the rapid emergence of AI by the year 2025. The
author attempts to temper any panic by stating that AI may lead to improved worker efficiency by
streamlining processes and reducing the time it takes to research, write, annotate, etc. However, I feel this
is a weak argument in that the jobs of current researchers, aides, and assistants to help in these endeavors
will be lost. Yes, the remaining workers will be more efficient but those that worked to support those who
remain will no longer have viable careers. This article supports my research into the dangers of Artificial
Intelligence.

“How Ai Is Impacting the Job Market?: University of Bridgeport.” University of Bridgeport News,
28 Nov. 2023,
www.bridgeport.edu/news/how-ai-is-impacting-the-job-market-for-college-graduates/.
This article takes a fair and balanced position on the effects of Artificial Intelligence on the job market for
recent college graduates. The author presents a clear understanding that the computational superiority of
AI will eliminate jobs related to data analysis, research and entry-level customer service. The author
does, however, illuminate projected career paths that will work hand-in-hand with AI or that will be
largely unaffected by its emergence. The author cites the US Bureau of Labor, claiming that the field of
research science is projecting growth of 23% with an estimated average annual salary of $136,620 by the
year 2032. Additionally, the fields of software development, quality assurance analysis, and beta testing
are projected to see even higher growth at 25% and an annual salary of $127,260 by 2032. The author
urges students to make intelligent choices for career paths and embrace the rapidly emerging technology
in regards to career choice. This balanced approach, illuminating the projected positives and negatives of
AI will be a cornerstone of my research.

Talmage-Rostron, Mark. “How Will Artificial Intelligence Affect Jobs 2024-2030.” Nexford University,
26 Jan. 2024, www.nexford.edu/insights/how-will-ai-affect-jobs.

This article, dated January 10, 2024 is the strongest (i.e. the most negative) source regarding job loss due
to the emergence of Artificial Intelligence. The author begins on a positive note, stating that AI has the
capacity to deliver an additional $13 trillion dollars in global impact (an estimated 1.2% additional GDP
per year) by 2030 in the form of automation and innovations of products and services, according to the
McKinsey Global Institute. Then, realism sets in as the author cites a report by global investment giant
Goldman Sachs, which reports that AI could replace up to 300 million full-time jobs in the near future.
The author sources Forbes, which cited a report from MIT and Boston University that AI will replace up
to 25 million jobs in the manufacturing sector by 2025. The author then goes back to cite McKinsey
Global Institute, who states that globally, at least 14% of all workers will have to change careers due to
advancements in robotics, automation and AI by the year 2030. The author then usefully lists the careers
most likely to be hit hardest by emerging AI as well as jobs that will either be created by AI or largely
unaffected by its impact. This information will be used in my research into the dangers of AI on the job
market.

Skandul, Emil. “Ai Is Going to Eliminate Way More Jobs than Anyone Realizes.” Business Insider,
Business Insider, 14 Aug. 2023,
 www.businessinsider.com/ai-radically-reshape-job-market-global-economy-employee-labor-innova
tion-2023-8.

Business Insider non-academic article (you will have to properly cite it) - This article from August of
2023 is the most optimistic of all the sources I found. The author does a good job of citing statistics
found in other articles that I have sourced regarding the elimination of jobs for the emergence of Artificial
Intelligence but is careful to label the upcoming phenomenon “mass disruption” as opposed to “mass
extinction.” The reason for this is simple; the short-term will have the most losses but the long-term
prognosis shows a net positive in job creation. The author likens the emergence of AI in a manner to the
arrival of the internet but is clear to caution that, unlike the arrival to the masses of the internet, we are
aware of AI and how it may impact jobs, now and in the future as well as who may be hit hardest by its
adoption (white collar workers making in excess of $80,000/year) and the industries that can expect job
loss. The author then details how governments can step in to protect and educate its workforce, from
stipends to continuing education as in Singapore to Denmark’s “Flexicurity” unemployment benefits
program that allows up to $2860/month for job security and retraining. This article will help round out
my research project, balancing the dangers of AI with a sense of hope and clear-cut solutions to avoid job
extinction.

Research Proposal

A new era of efficiency and creativity has been brought about by artificial intelligence (AI), which
promises unmatched improvements in automation, decision-making and problem solving across a wide
range of industries. Although AI technologies have a great deal of promise to improve productivity and
simplify procedures, worries regarding how they may affect jobs are beginning to arise. The complicated
issues underlying AI’s potential to eliminate jobs are explored in this proposal along with its
consequences for individuals, particularly those graduating college and entering the workforce.
The object of my research is the danger of Artificial Intelligence, particularly to college graduates and
those entering the job market. I am a college sophomore. Upon graduation, I hope to enter the job market
in search of a career that is rewarding both spiritually and financially. My mother is a trained graphic
artist, eventually becoming Art Director for Revlon. It was a challenging and rewarding career until she
chose to quit to raise a family. Recently, she stated that Artificial Intelligence is threatening to eliminate
her former position in the very near future. Those jobs simply will vanish as computers become alert and
learn to research, mimic and create graphic arts. During that same discussion, my stepfather, who owns a
metal recycling company and auto salvage yard, stated that his business is virtually “AI-proof.” That led
me to think about my own future. How do I navigate my college education and entrance into the job
market while avoiding the pitfalls of Artificial Intelligence? That question drove my research.
The benefits of the emergence of Artificial Intelligence cannot be understated. Improved efficiency,
the virtually instant speed of research and analysis as well as highly-improved organizational procedures
are all net-positives for any job. Data and research analysis, the health industry and off-site customer
service are industries that are set to be revolutionized by AI. Artificial intelligence will also create jobs,
especially those in support of AI, particularly software development, beta testing and quality assurance.
Experts hypothesize that the long-term prediction for AI is positive; more jobs will be created by AI than
will be eliminated by its existence and improved worker efficiency will add an expected $13 trillion
dollars in global impact (an estimated 1.2% additional GDP) by the year 2030 according to the McKinsey
Global Institute.
That positive long-term prediction comes with a cost. In the short term, AI could replace up to 300
million jobs worldwide per a report generated by Goldman Sachs and additionally, up to 14% of all
workers may have to change careers due to advancements in robotics, automation and artificial
intelligence by the year 2030. White collar workers, particularly college graduates who earn in excess of
$80,000 per year or more are the ones that will be most affected by AI’s existence. This “black cloud”
looming over my own future led me to search for pathways to inform my educational and career choices
so I won’t be forced to change careers because of artificial intelligence’s existence. While government
programs aimed to help its working population combat the job-cutting effects of AI exist in countries like
Denmark and Singapore, no such program currently exists in the United States.
As scary as artificial intelligence may seem to someone entering the workforce, there appears to be a
number of careers that either work in concert with or not as impacted by AI’s emergence. Additionally,
seeking out educational institutions that incorporate AI in its curriculum or strive to educate with AI’s
emergence in mind as a symbiotic relationship seems wise. My initial research discovered a number of
careers and institutions that acknowledge the oncoming tidal wave that is AI but also offer a way to avoid
drowning in its wake. Likewise, I was also able to discover a number of careers that will most likely be
hit hardest by AI, helping me navigate my educational and career choices.
Artificial Intelligence is here. Automation, robotics, and AI-engines such as ChatGPT are proof of
that. The time is now to steer my educational choices to inform my career options. My research has led
me to continue my quest to find the most up-to-date information on AI and its effects on individual
careers. Not listed in my research was podcasts. These long-form discussions on the topic of AI with
experts such as Lex Friedman, an AI researcher and consultant to companies like Tesla will help to inform
the public, including college students like myself, on the advancement and changes brought about by
human-robot interaction, machine learning, automation and artificial intelligence. These resources will
help guide me to avoid the dangers that AI will inevitably bring to the job market.