Brazilian experts discuss impact of AI on job market
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, many fear losing their jobs to cutting-edge technology. I asked ChatGPT—one of the most popular AI tools today—whether it considers itself a threat to workers. The answer was no.
“Automation and AI can complement human jobs rather than replace them. Companies can embrace worker training as well as new ways of organizing work,” ChatGPT replied.
In banks, AI has long been a reality in digital marketing and risk analysis. The novelty now is a system that facilitates text production and talks to humans.
Neuroscientist Álvaro Machado argues the technological stride is not inherently bad, but a wider debate should be held on the use of this technology. In his view, automated work should be taxed.
“A robot does human work and doesn’t pay taxes, because it’s not a person, it’s software—but a lot of people do a similar job and do pay taxes. So, from the point of view of production, it’s just like a person. So it must pay tax. And this tax should be used for income distribution,” he said.
Engineer Edison Spina believes management jobs will be the most severely impacted.
“The old factory days, when you had to tighten screws, have given way to screw-tightening robots, right? And this climbs up the hierarchy further and further over time. The tool is now reaching management posts.”
Machado underscores the economic aspect in replacing professionals with higher pay.
“If there’s an activity that’s more sophisticated, and apparently more intrinsically human, replacing [a human being] can bring a much greater economic advantage, so it’s more likely that investments should be made there.”
In Spina’s opinion, knowing how to use AI will be a mandatory skill in the future.
“Job descriptions will be different. So if you’re gearing up for the new scenario, the job is yours. On the other hand, if you can’t be bothered, chances are you’ll lose the post,” he pointed out.
According to consultancy Goldman Sachs, AI tools could affect up to 300 million full-time jobs worldwide.
