Amazon has developed new robots, such as Digit and Sequoia. These robots make it easier and safer to complete monotonous tasks. Sequoia assists Amazon’s warehouses with order processing and inventory management.
It’s not uncommon for tech roles to now receive hundreds or thousands of applicants. Round after round of layoffs since late 2022 have sent a mass of skilled tech workers job hunting, and the wide adoption of generative AI has also upended the recruitment process, allowing people to bulk apply to roles. All of those eager for work are hitting a wall: overwhelmed recruiters and hiring managers.
WIRED spoke with seven recruiters and hiring managers across tech and other industries, who expressed trepidation about the new tech—for now, much is still unknown about how and why AI makes the choices it does, and it has a history of making biased decisions. They want to understand why the AI is making the decisions it does, and to have more room for nuance before embracing it: Not all qualified applicants are going to fit into a role perfectly, one recruiter tells WIRED.
Recruiters say they are met with droves of résumés sent through tools like LinkedIn’s Easy Apply feature, which allows people to apply for jobs quickly within the site’s platform. Then there are third-party tools to write résumés or cover letters, and there’s generative AI built into tools on sites of major players like LinkedIn and Indeed—some for job seekers, some for recruiters. These come alongside a growing number of tools to automate the recruiting process, leaving some workers wondering if a person or bot is looking at their résumé.
We’re beginning to see the early stages of that trend pick up pace: In 2022, 34% of job tasks were completed by machines versus 66% by humans, according to the World Economic Forum’s “The Future of Jobs Report 2023”. By 2027, that ratio is expected to increase to 43% of tasks completed by machines and 57% by humans.
“On the one hand, yes, it’s scary to envision a world in which almost no job is safe from automation or from robotics. But the important thing to keep in mind is that through this kind of creative destruction process, while jobs will certainly be lost in some areas, there also will be jobs that will be gained.”
Despite those concerns, investors are looking for ways to bet on the growth of robotics. And according to the International Federation of Robotics, they don’t have to look very far. The US is home to the most suppliers that manufacture service robots and is well-positioned to cater to the rapidly growing global demand for robotics. The annual installation of industrial robots is expected to grow by about 30%, from 553,000 installations in 2022 to 718,000 in 2026.
In the shadows of the digital age, a quiet revolution unfolds, reshaping the landscape of work with every passing moment. Artificial intelligence (AI), once the fodder of science fiction and speculative thought, now infiltrates every facet of our professional lives, often in ways so subtle that its impact goes unnoticed until it’s too late. This silent shift sees AI not just complementing human efforts but outright replacing them, leaving a trail of obsolescence in its wake. Thus, let’s delve into the stark realities of AI’s encroachment on human jobs, exploring the future landscape of employment and the duality of its impact, through a lens that does not shy away from the grim nuances of this transition.
Across industries, AI’s efficiency, relentless work ethic, and precision have made it an irresistible choice for employers. From manufacturing lines where robotic arms assemble products with inhuman speed and accuracy, to sophisticated algorithms that manage stock portfolios, outperforming their human counterparts, the signs are clear. AI doesn’t just work alongside humans; it often works instead of them. The adoption of AI in tasks ranging from customer service bots handling inquiries with unsettling empathy, to AI-driven analytics predicting market trends with eerie accuracy, showcases a reality where human involvement becomes increasingly redundant.
As AI continues to evolve, the future of human employment navigates a precarious path. On one hand, new realms of jobs and careers will emerge, focusing on managing, enhancing, and leveraging AI technologies. On the other, the specter of widespread job displacement looms large, a testament to the inexorable march of progress that waits for no one.
On this day in 1976: Apple was founded.
Apple Inc., originally named Apple Computer, Inc., is a multinational corporation that creates and markets consumer electronics and attendant computer software, and is a digital distributor of media content. Apple’s core product lines are the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet computer, and the Macintosh personal computer. The company offers its products online and has a chain of retail stores known as Apple Stores. Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne created Apple Computer Co. on April 1, 1976, to market Wozniak’s Apple I desktop computer,[2] and Jobs and Wozniak incorporated the company on January 3, 1977,[3] in Cupertino, California.
A new report warns of potentially major disruption to UK employment from the coming wave of AI. An estimated 11% of tasks are already exposed to current AI, a figure that could rise to 59% during a second wave. But there could also be opportunities for economic growth.
From the discovery and use of fire in the Stone Age, through to the handheld smartphones of today, technology has improved our living standards and is the foundation of modern society. Yet unmanaged technological change comes with risks and disruptions. The current wave of technology including generative AI – described by some as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” – promises transformative benefits, while at the same time bringing potential disruption through its impact on wage inequality, wealth inequality, and job displacement.
As generative AI becomes more prevalent in our day to day lives, it will also impact our careers and change how companies hire and retain talent.
A hot potato: A lot of companies try to assuage fears that employees will lose their jobs to AI by assuring them they’ll be working alongside the tech, thereby improving efficiency and making their duties less tedious. That claim feels less convincing in light of a new survey that found 41% of managers said they are hoping to replace workers with cheaper AI tools in 2024.
A report by Beautiful.ai, which makes AI-powered presentation software, surveyed over 3,000 managers about AI tools in the workplace, how they’re being implemented, and what impact they believe these technologies will have.
The headline takeaway is that 41% of managers said they are hoping that they can replace employees with cheaper AI tools in 2024. This backs up previous reports that looked at potential jobs losses caused by generative AI, including one from September that predicted the technology would replace over 2 million US jobs by 2030. An earlier study claimed that generative AI could affect 300 million jobs globally.
Besides personal emails from Meta’s chief, the company is offering jobs to candidates without interviewing them, The Information has reported.
Research conducted by Brown University’s Carney Institute for Brain Science illustrates how parts of the brain need to work together to focus on important information while filtering out distractions.
Imagine a busy restaurant: dishes clattering, music playing, people talking loudly over one another. It’s a wonder that anyone in that kind of environment can focus enough to have a conversation. A new study by researchers at Brown University’s Carney Institute for Brain Science provides some of the most detailed insights yet into the brain mechanisms that help people pay attention amid such distraction, as well as what’s happening when they can’t focus.
In an earlier psychology study, the researchers established that people can separately control how much they focus (by enhancing relevant information) and how much they filter (by tuning out distractions). The team’s new research, published in Nature Human Behaviour, unveils the process by which the brain coordinates these two critical functions.
