No one is immune. Generative artificial intelligences have teeth that scratch the floor. They will take our jobs. These are the kind of catastrophic messages that have been spreading for months, fueled by shocking announcements of layoffs blamed on AI. The reality is much more reassuring, says Philippe Aghion, professor at the Collège de France, economist specializing in innovation and co-chair of the artificial intelligence commission.
The first reason for this? “A job corresponds to a set of tasks. Only 5% of jobs should see most of their tasks automated by AI, and may therefore be threatened. In the majority of cases, jobs will be enhanced, because only part of the tasks that compose them – the most boring – will be automated, which will allow employees to be more creative and efficient on other tasks,” he explains to L’Express. If presentations and emails are faster to make, professionals can refine the ideas presented therein. Spend more time with customers, thanks to AI which takes care of taking notes or searching documentary databases for them.
Even the call center or customer relations spheres can have surprises in store. Fintech Klarna disrupted the industry by revealing that its chatbot today ensured the work of 700 full-time equivalents. In the long term, artificial intelligence could nevertheless move this type of service upmarket. Generative AIs respond well to the simplest customer questions. But, when the requests are more complex and involve the company, they often need to hand over to a human. And those who use AI without reducing their workforce will significantly shorten their wait times. A great selling point.
Companies that adopt AI hire more
“French companies that adopt AI create more jobs than similar companies that do not adopt it. This is due to a ‘productivity effect’: companies that adopt AI reduce their production costs and become more competitive. Which allows them to improve the quality-price ratio of their products. They therefore sell more, develop and, consequently, hire more than others.”
Does this mean that a small portion of innovative companies are developing at the cost of greater job destruction among their competitors? No, initial reassuring studies suggest: the positive effect is observed across the sector, not just among a few pioneers. “AI is not going to create mass unemployment. Any more than the steam engine, electricity or robots did before it. All technological revolutions have given rise to serious concerns. Hence the movement Luddites, in the 19th century, or the emergence of the idea, agitated in 2017, of taxing robots. These fears have nevertheless never materialized, precisely because of the productivity effect”, underlines Philippe Aghion. Especially since these innovations are accompanied by the creation of new professions, such as that of data scientist, perfectly exotic in the 2000s and so popular today.
All is not rosy, of course, in the new world of AI. Freelance workers risk suffering more from this transformation than others. And certain professions will be put in danger. While classic AI had encouraged companies to hire more qualified and more technical profiles, generative AI should smooth out inequalities: it is the less qualified and the less productive who benefit from the greatest productivity gains. .
“AI is a feisty horse”
Overall, artificial intelligence should make France more prosperous and help it return to high growth rates, specifies the report of the AI commission, co-chaired by Philippe Aghion. In ten years, it could increase the French GDP by 250 to 420 billion euros, or as much as the added value of the entire industry. “Like previous technological revolutions, that of AI increases our capacity to produce goods and services. But the singularity of AI, and particularly generative AI, is that it also increases productivity in the conception of new ideas. Which opens up much greater prospects for accelerating growth than before. But, on the other hand, there are obstacles to growth, starting with the absence of competition in the upstream segments of the AI value chain: computing power, the cloud, data are in the hands of a very small number of superstar companies,” points out the economist.
The benefits of artificial intelligence will therefore not fall from the sky. France has many assets in AI, but also many projects to carry out. “AI is a spirited horse that can bring us a lot if we manage it well, hence the importance of putting in place adequate training, labor market and competition policies, and of making significant investments “, specifies Philippe Aghion. The AI commission therefore recommends that France invest 5 billion euros per year for five years in this area. And that it leads a real social dialogue. “The debate on pensions has shown it: there is a malaise at work which has been ignored for too long. AI can help by automating boring tasks and helping employees to better understand their rights and to participate more in the management of their businesses. It can bring happiness back to work.”
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