South Africans can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now, as artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t expected to replace jobs anytime soon.
That’s according to economist Cobus Venter from the Bureau for Economic Research.
Venter said current research shows that AI isn’t taking over people’s jobs, but those who use the technology tend to be more productive.
He added that while widespread disruption has yet to materialise, he believes the nature of many jobs will look very different within the next five years.
“You can see that starting to happen with fewer positions for law clerks and article clerks and things like that already starting to happen and it might also lead to a shortage of experience later on, because I think one of the dangers that one can do is to believe the hype and think that the jobs will stay the same.”
Venter also said South Africa should focus on creating an environment that helps first-time job seekers and new entrants to the labour market adapt in the age of AI.
“We really need to worry about that side, and we also need to be very wary of raising the cost of employment, either the cost or the complexity, because that just increases the likelihood of either automation or simply becoming a traded good which we import from elsewhere. So, it is a dangerous time.”
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