"Seven years from the statement '49% of jobs will be replaced by AI.' What are the essential human skills needed in today's era?"

1. Current Status of AI Implementation

 

Seven years have passed since the future forecast, is it true that human jobs are being taken over by AI?

1-1. Still Low AI Adoption Rate for Japanese Companies

Percentage of companies that responded "using AI technology in their business" in a survey targeting companies in Japan, Germany, and the United States.

 

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 2021 Survey and Research on the Impact of Digital Transformation on the Economy, created by the author

 

This is the data for 2021, but surprisingly, the utilization rate of AI in Japanese companies is only 24.3%. It can be seen that the use of AI is not as advanced as expected. While the predicted number of 49% may be too threatening, it is still a fact that the introduction of AI is progressing year by year. What should be understood from the previous predictions is the trend of jobs that will continue to be demanded by humans and those that are highly likely to be taken over by AI. It is necessary to consider measures such as thinking about the skills that humans should acquire from now on, after understanding these trends.

1-2. Human workers are necessary even for developing AI.

In order to develop AI that can be implemented in the business field, human labor is also essential. There are many manual processes involved in effective machine learning and the preceding process called annotation. The reason why the introduction of AI is slower than predicted in 2015 may also be due to such factors.

2. Why is AI taking away jobs?

2-1. Strengths of AI as a Workforce

The advantages of AI as a workforce are accuracy and speed. Just like manufacturing machines, once AI learns how to perform a task, it can continue to do so indefinitely. Unlike humans, there is no decrease in accuracy due to fatigue or set working hours. The introduction of AI can greatly improve productivity and streamline business operations.

2-2. Evolution of AI beyond just automation

AI also has unique strengths. Unlike RPA, AI can not only handle routine tasks, but also adapt flexibly to changes in the task content. AI can also manipulate language. AI that automatically generates advertising copy can analyze product information, past copy, news, and online reviews to instantly create a large amount of copy. AI can propose ideas based on given materials and perform non-routine tasks. It can be said that the strength of AI is different from traditional mechanization and simple automation.

 

Article on the difference between AI and RPA can be found here
>> Explaining RPA from the basics. What are the differences with AI? Also introducing ways to utilize RPA and AI together.

3. Jobs that will disappear with AI and jobs that will remain

Let's take a look at the specific occupations listed in the report at that time.

3-1. Jobs Taken Over by AI

It is said that jobs with many patterns that can be standardized are at high risk of being taken over by AI. From the perspective of business efficiency, it is predicted that humans will be put at a disadvantage in these jobs in the future.

Source: Created by the author based on "49% of Japan's labor force can be replaced by artificial intelligence and robots" from 2015 Nomura Research Institute (NRI)

3-2. Jobs Required by Humans

Jobs that involve the body and mind, and jobs that require creativity are said to have a low risk of being taken over by AI.

Source: Created by the author based on "49% of Japan's labor force can be replaced by artificial intelligence and robots" from 2015 Nomura Research Institute (NRI)

3-3. Think about things that only humans can do

AI today has evolved beyond mere automation and can now analyze big data to propose appropriate responses. However, it is still unable to create something from scratch. Skills such as planning and creativity will continue to be demanded from humans. Flexibility, critical thinking, leadership, and other skills related to communication and relationship building are still areas where humans excel. By reconsidering what only humans can do, we may be able to see the future of work.

4. New Jobs Created by AI

 

With the spread of AI, there are jobs that will disappear, but there are also new jobs and increased demand for certain jobs. When considering how to work in the age of AI, let's also take a look at these positive aspects.

4-1. Data Scientist

A data scientist is someone who analyzes data based on statistics and algorithms to create value and solve problems. In AI development, the challenge is to find the role that data plays in improving the accuracy of AI by performing analysis and classification on vast amounts of data to achieve the desired goal.

4-2. AI Engineer

Also known as ML (Machine Learning) engineers. They are responsible for actually performing the essential machine learning for AI development and building systems for AI to function.

4-3. Data annotator

The development of AI requires the process of machine learning. This is where data annotators come in, responsible for the actual work of creating the training data used in this process. They manually add tags and labels to large amounts of data, using accurate knowledge and criteria to ensure the quality of AI. This is a crucial role that greatly impacts the quality of AI.

 

Learn more about data annotation
>>What is data annotation? Explanation from its meaning to its relationship with AI and machine learning.

Click here for teacher data
>>What is teacher data? Explanation from the relationship with AI, machine learning, and data annotation to how to create it.

5. Consult with Human Science for AI utilization

5-1. 48 million records of teacher data creation

"I don't know where to start when it comes to implementing AI."
"I don't know what to ask for when outsourcing."
If you are in such a situation, please consult with Human Science. At Human Science, we participate in AI development projects in various industries such as natural language processing, medical support, automobiles, IT, manufacturing, and construction. Through direct transactions with many companies including GAFAM, we have provided over 48 million high-quality training data. We can handle various annotation projects regardless of industry, from small-scale projects to large-scale projects with 150 annotators.
>>Human Science's Annotation Service

5-2. Resource Management without Using Crowdsourcing

At Human Science, we do not use crowdsourcing and instead directly contract with workers to manage projects. We carefully assess each member's practical experience and evaluations from previous projects to form a team that can perform to the best of their abilities.

5-3. Utilizing the Latest Data Annotation Tools

One of the annotation tools introduced by Human Science, AnnoFab, allows customers to check progress and provide feedback on the cloud even during project execution. By not allowing work data to be saved on local machines, we also consider security.

5-4. Equipped with a security room within the company

At Human Science, we have a security room that meets the ISMS standards in our Shinjuku office. We can handle highly confidential projects on-site. We consider ensuring confidentiality to be extremely important for all projects. We continuously provide security education to our staff and pay close attention to handling information and data, even for remote projects.