24/7 Space News
ROBO SPACE
AI's impact on jobs, tech's touchy topic
AI's impact on jobs, tech's touchy topic
By Thomas URBAIN
New York (AFP) Mar 27, 2025

"Stop Hiring Humans" read a provocative sign at an AI conference in Las Vegas, where the impact of new artificial intelligence models on the world of work had sparked some unease.

"We're not worried about tiptoeing around. We're sparking the conversation," said Fahad Alam of Artisan, a startup, at the HumanX AI event.

The San Francisco company is promoting AI agents -- virtual sales representatives that identify potential customers, contact them, write emails, and schedule appointments.

AI agents, which are supposed to make decisions that are usually made by humans, have become the latest buzzword of the generative AI story that began with the release of ChatGPT in 2022.

With its offering, Artisan's typical avatar, Ava, costs 96 percent less than a human performing the same tasks, according to the company's website.

The startup's straight-to-the-point approach sharply contrasts with most generative AI companies, who tread cautiously on whether ChatGPT-like technologies will leave human workers unemployed by the wayside.

"I don't fundamentally think it's about displacing employees as much as better leveraging them for the things only humans can do," said Josh Constine of SignalFire, a venture capital firm.

Predictions can vary wildly. Goldman Sachs estimates AI could eliminate 300 million jobs globally through automation.

An 2024 Metrigy report found 89 percent of firms surveyed reduced customer relations staff in the previous year due to generative AI.

On the other hand, 70 percent of major companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum said they planned to hire workers with AI-related skills in the coming years.

"It's natural evolution," said Joe Murphy of D-iD, which offers video avatars and recently struck a partnership with Microsoft.

"Like the car's invention, AI will create a new sector. Jobs will be created and lost simultaneously."

Supporting this theory, data from the US Department of Labor shows jobs for secretaries and administrative assistants fell from 4.1 million to 3.4 million between 1992 and 2023, coinciding with the rise of office computing.

During the same period, the number of computer scientists more than doubled, from approximately 500,000 to 1.2 million.

Still, given the sensitivities about replacing humans, some advise discretion.

"You're selling software that replaces a significant part of their team," said Tomasz Tunguz, founder of Theory Ventures. "You can't sell that overtly."

"Some clients candidly don't want it known they're using AI," added Alam.

- 'Inevitable' -

There is little doubt that some kind of upheaval of the workplace is underway, but its precise impact remains uncertain.

Analysts predict job losses for programmers, call center operators, translators, and travel agents.

However, others caution against taking bold statements -- or reassurances -- by startups at face value.

"Technology innovators learn communication skills by overstating the positive, underplaying the negative," said Mark Hass, marketing professor at Arizona State University.

But many startups reject the notion they're misleading on job impacts.

"The majority of people we're talking to aren't doing this because of efficiency. They're doing this because of top-line revenue growth," said Paloma Ochi of Decagon, a marketing AI startup.

"And when the business grows, that's good for everyone. There are going to be more jobs for humans within that business."

"Most customers don't want to let people go," said Joshua Rumsey, a senior sales engineer at Aisera, whose AI agents are used in finance and HR. Though they are "looking to grow without hiring new agents as existing ones leave."

Given the disruptions, Hass advocated for greater transparency, warning that surprising the public with negative impacts on livelihoods could lead to backlash.

"Talking about the implications doesn't weaken the case for AI, because I think it's inevitable. Not talking about it in a wholesome way creates the opportunity for misunderstanding," he said.

tu/arp/dc

MICROSOFT

Related Links
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ROBO SPACE
These electronics-free robots can walk right off the 3D-printer
San Diego CA (SPX) Mar 26, 2025
Imagine a robot that can walk, without electronics, and only with the addition of a cartridge of compressed gas, right off the 3D-printer. It can also be printed in one go, from one material. That is exactly what roboticists have achieved in robots developed by the Bioinspired Robotics Laboratory at the University of California San Diego. They describe their work in an advanced online publication in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems. To achieve this feat, researchers aimed to use the ... read more

ROBO SPACE
SpaceX to launch private astronauts on first crewed polar orbit

SpaceX's Crew 11 to space station named: 2 from NASA, plus Russia, Japan

US imposes trade restrictions on dozens of entities with eye on China

Delft and Brown researchers unveil ultrathin sails for laser propulsion in space

ROBO SPACE
ULA Vulcan earns green light for national security launches

The Sky's Not the Limit for NASA's Next-Gen Landing Navigation Tech

European orbital rocket crashes after launch

Rocket Lab tapped to join US Space Force national security launch initiative

ROBO SPACE
Visiting Mars on the Way to the Outer Solar System

Sols 4488-4490: Progress Through the Ankle-Breaking Terrain

Mars climate contrast deepens with new atmospheric wave study

NASA's rover Curiosity finds biggest known organic molecules on Mars

ROBO SPACE
Space station advances muscle and semiconductor science

China's Galactic Energy expands Yunyao satellite network with successful launch

Shenzhou XIX astronauts complete third spacewalk outside Tiangong

Hong Kong spearheads lunar robotics initiative for national space program

ROBO SPACE
SKY Perfect JSAT contracts Thales Alenia Space for JSAT 32 satellite project

Globalstar launches advanced control center in Louisiana to boost satellite operations

Space Norway signs Intelsat as lead broadcaster on THOR 8 satellite

What to know about the satellite communications race

ROBO SPACE
Eco-friendly rare earth element separation: A bioinspired solution to an industry challenge

Kazakhstan discovers its 'largest' rare earths deposit

Scientists build novel quantum material from two extreme compounds

Metamaterials enable ultra-efficient mechanical energy storage

ROBO SPACE
China sends regenerative flatworms to orbit for biological research

NASA uncovers complex teamwork in magnetic bacteria

Were large soda lakes the cradle of life

How calcium may have guided early molecular directionality

ROBO SPACE
NASA's Hubble Telescope May Have Uncovered a Triple System in the Kuiper Belt

NASA's Europa Clipper Leverages Mars for Critical Gravity Assist

Oort cloud resembles a galaxy, new study finds

The PI's Perspective: A New Mission Update for the New Year

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.