For some of us, the first few weeks back at work after the holiday break can be a tough transition from the relaxed pace of holiday life to the familiar cadence and routines of our daily grind. But imagine if some of the most mundane of the tasks you’re required to do daily at work could be performed by an AI assistant to free you up to focus on important strategic work.
In broad terms, artificial intelligence (AI) leverages computers and machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind.
Callaghan Innovation has worked with more than 200 ventures since 2019 that are using AI to develop innovative new products and services. We’re sure some could join the ranks of Xero and Rocket Lab, which have imagined and developed world-leading products and services by leveraging emerging technologies like AI.
But you don’t have to be leading an innovative new venture to be using AI. Many people might be surprised to know they’re already using AI-enabled tools in their daily lives, such as predictive text, social media algorithms to find relevant content, and AI-optimised online travel routes.
What has really captured headlines since its launch in late 2022 is the freely available generative AI tool ChatGPT. Because it can help write everything from computer code to articles like this one, there has been increasing speculation about AI replacing humans in various jobs across a range of professions and that’s making some people nervous.
AI is expected to transform the employment landscape over time, as increasingly powerful and relatively inexpensive AI-enabled tools become more available. But its biggest impact this year will be to help make jobs easier rather than take them away from workers. Depending on tool costs and availability, this impact will vary across the workforce.
Highest impact
The biggest impact will be felt in digital and office-based roles, for which increasingly reliable and cost-effective products are set to become available during the next year.
Specialist generative AI apps – such as Microsoft’s recently launched Copilot – will be available for many roles to automate routine tasks, such as note-taking, meeting scheduling and data entry. More specialised tasks, such as shortlisting job applicant CVs and generating financial or sales reports, will be partly or entirely carried out by AI, and checked by a human for accuracy.
Recent advances in multi-modal generative AI, which enables the latest version of ChatGPT and Google Gemini to process, synthesise and generate content from audio and video, not just text, will help digital content creators and artists to produce and develop content faster. Software developers already using generative AI to help write code will continue to do so.
Moderate impact
The availability of generative AI tools will accelerate the adoption of AI across various science and engineering tasks that have been gradually impacted during the past decade. These include background research, hypothesis generation, and data interpretation tasks.
This year, more AI tools will be used by scientists and engineers for science discovery and engineering solutions, thanks to an increased uptake of open source, specialist AI tools that don’t require computer programming skills.
Minor impact
Farmers, factory and warehouse workers and those in manufacturing will see gradual change continue because of the high cost of deploying AI to perform tasks reliably in a real-world environment. This is because it can be expensive for businesses to invest in machinery, sensors, computing power and other technologies to run AI on the factory floor or in the field. Those in roles creating high-value products and produce, often for export, may see the most change because it makes business sense to invest in the largely bespoke set-up required.
Risks and rewards
AI technologies, and generative AI in particular, are pushing the boundaries of what is possible but are also presenting new risks. Businesses are becoming more aware of the need to manage these risks as AI tools become more common in the workplace.
In 2024, and beyond, businesses will increasingly look to create new roles to manage the risks that AI tools present in regard to privacy, proprietary information, and security. Looking ahead, new opportunities will emerge in areas like AI strategy leadership, AI governance, AI ethics and AI legal services to help ensure businesses make the most of opportunities while managing the risks and responsibilities of AI use.
As the AI revolution gathers pace, our collective imagination will pose the biggest limitation to helping Kiwi workers perform at their best and enable exciting new job opportunities.
Rather than fretting about job loses, think about embracing AI because, for many, these tools can boost productivity by lessening the load of routine tasks. Whether or not your job is affected by AI this year, taking the opportunity to see how AI tools can make your work easier will not only save you time but could put you on course for future workplace success.
Dr Kin Lung Chan is AI Lead and Data Vision Team Leader at Callaghan Innovation.
