WILL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AFFECT JOBS AND PROFESSIONS?

Artificial intelligence poses risks to job security around the world, but it also offers a "huge opportunity" to boost depressed productivity levels and boost global growth. That's what International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva said in an interview with AFP days ago.

About the benefits, the harms, about finding the balance in the ratio between workforce and artificial intelligence is the conversation with Tomcho Tomov - Director of the National Competence Assessment Center at the Bulgarian Industrial Association. He said that if we talk about Bulgaria, about 30% or one third of jobs will be affected by artificial intelligence. By "affecting", we should understand job losses, but this will not be a quick process, but over 10-20 years. In his view, this should be understood as a 'transformation' of jobs, i.e. artificial intelligence will affect the performance of specific roles, functions and individual tasks within the professions and jobs concerned.

As the process of automation and mechanisation has encroached and abolished physical labour, artificial intelligence is now entering predominantly mental labour-dominated occupations, where there are operations that can be automated, routines that can be coded, tasks related to data management, monitoring, optimising, forecasting, evaluating for decision-making alternatives, he explained, defining this as a paradox.

The expert also stressed that we should prepare for everything that will happen and develop our potential.

"To develop a whole group of new skills that may be undervalued, but which will be extremely important in the interaction and use of artificial intelligence."

Tomov revealed that about 30% of the enterprises in the country have prepared digital transition strategies focused on digital transformation. Some include the use of artificial intelligence in many places. Depending on the industries identified, enterprises are also considering what opportunities AI will provide. According to Tomov, AI will go as far as we let it go.

He stressed that there will still be places and professions that will not be greatly affected by AI.

"First of all, those require emotional intelligence, which is only possible for the human brain. The robot can take pictures, scan facial expressions, have a database based on that, reveal what the mood is, but human intuition, emotional intelligence, the management of complex interpersonal moods, the problems associated with managing people, are professions that will largely be preserved, as will the creative professions," Tomcho Tomov explained.

"Artificial intelligence is entering professions in healthcare, social work, the arts, entertainment, sports, it's also entering journalism and media - in developing and editing articles, but you can't trust it with investigative journalism - you'll use it, but it can't replace you. Jobs requiring physical dexterity, skill, which require problem solving in a non-routine, unpredictable environment - maintenance, repairs, repairs, technical security, security, fire safety," Tomcho Tomov revealed.