The story of AI revolution frontline workers: The only way is to embrace adaptation if you don’t want to fall behind

“The rapid acceleration of AI development emphasizes the need for humans to adapt in order to avoid being left behind.”

“Rafael Rodríguez Deustúa earns a living through freelance advertising design on the 99designs platform. His works primarily embrace a modernist style, a flexible blend of the new and the old, the East and the West.

Sharing with Rest of World, Deustúa mentioned that he is currently working in Guadalajara, Mexico. Most of his clients are newly established companies or small businesses in the United States. He also has some loyal clients in Europe and Australia.

However, recently, Deustúa, like many creatives worldwide, has faced a new competitive opponent: artificial intelligence. 99designs now allows designs created by AI to have access to clients.”

A March report by Goldman Sachs revealed that over 300 million jobs worldwide could be disrupted by AI, while global consulting firm McKinsey estimated that at least 12 million Americans will have to change professions by 2030.

Furthermore, between 2030 and 2060, half of today’s jobs are expected to be automated. The World Economic Forum estimated that 83 million jobs globally will be lost in the next 5 years due to AI. Additionally, 44% of workers’ core skills are expected to change.

One of the most vulnerable groups is outsourced employees. Rest of World had the opportunity to speak with these employees, who work in various industries. They all share the view that artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly altered their monthly income.

Abisoye Otusanya-Azzan is one of the individuals interviewed by Rest of World. The 29-year-old began writing in 2020, primarily focusing on marketing content for companies in the UK and the US.

When ChatGPT was introduced, Abisoye tried using this tool but was dissatisfied, stating that there were still too many errors.

“I don’t fully trust ChatGPT,” Abisoye said.

In theory, AI could alleviate the burden for content creators like Abisoye, but in reality, this technology led to her being laid off. Instead of hiring freelancers, many companies opt for ChatGPT to save costs.”

“Many customers opt for AI tools instead of hiring copywriters like myself,” Abisoye said sadly.

To cut costs, Western businesses have long sought to hire inexpensive outsourced employees. Research on 11 platforms similar to 99designs shows that India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are among the preferred regions. The clients mostly come from the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.

Rest of World conducted a survey with over 31,000 professionals in the technology, finance, and communications fields through the Blind platform. The majority of them were employed by major tech companies in Silicon Valley in the US, India, the EU, and Canada.

76% of survey participants stated they believe AI in general will lead companies to reduce costs. 63% predicted that companies will hire fewer people. While 56% mentioned they are using AI to improve work efficiency, only 24% expressed some concern or significant worry about the risk of unemployment.

Instead of hiring expensive traditional artists, businesses can utilize “AI artists.” The prices typically range from $15-60 per design. Moreover, instead of seeking specialized content writers for advertisements, these companies can also purchase a large quantity of texts generated by AI. In Bangladesh, customers can buy up to 1,000 articles on the same topic. An order of 120 articles written by GPT-3 costs approximately $90 with a commitment to non-plagiarism.

For over 7 years, Santiago Bautista González has been selling cartoon-style paintings. His monthly income is around $1,500, but it unexpectedly dropped by 30% in January this year. AI turned out to be the ‘culprit’ after the Fiverr platform he often uses introduced the ‘AI artist’ feature.

However, instead of sitting idly and complaining, Bautista decided to use AI to make money. ‘On the very first day of using this new service, I made sales,’ Bautista said, adding that artificial intelligence helped him save time and compensate for the lost income. He is not afraid that AI will take away his job.

‘You will need AI,’ he said. ‘If AI can do everything faster and more efficiently, I’ll make a lot of money while putting in less effort.’

A recent study by Brynjolfsson, involving over 5,000 customer service employees using general AI technology, showed a significant increase in their productivity, ranging from 14-30%. With AI assistance, software developers also completed tasks 56% faster, according to a study by MIT.

In January 2023, the Fiverr platform reported a 1,400% increase in job-related AI searches in just 6 months. The surge in demand has led the company to create entirely new job categories under the name ‘AI services.’

‘I think AI will create more opportunities for freelancers but will reduce the price of some services,’ said Seif Percle, a representative from Upwork based in Cairo, speaking to Rest of World.

Rehand Haider, a developer based in Lahore, Pakistan, estimated that the demand for AI deployment services has increased by two-thirds in the past 6 months. Recently, he has been using the ChatGPT application programming interface (API) to assist in property rental tasks on Airbnb.

Ali Zeeshan, a data scientist in Islamabad, Pakistan, also mentioned that the demand for AI on Upwork has significantly boosted his job. ‘I’m getting more views. Commissions have tripled this year thanks to AI,’ Ali said.

Wu Dayu’s design workshop based in Shenzhen used to take at least a week to create advertising content for an online fashion store. A photo shoot required models, makeup artists, photographers, and a studio. Wu shared that producing a catalog for 6 outfits would cost around $3,500.

However, since Wu switched to using general AI in March, the work has become much easier.

‘Some high-end brands may prefer models,’ Wu said. ‘However, for small and medium-sized sellers like us, AI models help save a lot of money and time.’ In April, Wu laid off 60% of his employees.

On the flip side, AI is causing concerns for photographers and models. Shaeman Liu, a 26-year-old fashion photographer in Hangzhou, doubts that AI will replace him in doing all the work. Model Charline Xu, 24, is also worried that clients will use AI and cut her job.

‘If designers charge 800 RMB for AI, I will only take 600 RMB. If they charge 600 RMB, I will go down to 500 RMB,‘ Xu said. ‘I will fight to the end.’

In the same industry, Sara Ziff, founder of the non-profit advocacy group Model Alliance, also mentioned that some companies are scanning models’ bodies to create molds for AI. This way, they would save costs on hiring models.

‘Fashion companies design clothing based on body scans of models instead of hiring models directly,‘ Sara Ziff said.

Nevertheless, AI’s substitution does not equate to a wave of struggling job seekers desperately seeking employment. ‘I don’t think we will witness mass unemployment,’ expert Brynjolfsson said. ‘However, we will see widespread disruptions. Salaries for some current jobs will decrease, but they will increase for new jobs that require more AI skills. Labor allocation will occur.’

According to experts, the process of AI implementation can happen rapidly due to the already prepared technological infrastructure. Additionally, in contrast to the hype cycles surrounding cryptocurrencies or the metaverse, AI is entering a mature stage and is being practically applied. Hundreds of millions of users have integrated this technology into their daily work processes.

The pace of AI development sets it apart from previous industrial revolutions. It’s not simply a matter of a textile worker being replaced by a mechanized loom. The transformation due to AI is happening at different levels, within each industry, and what we should do now is invest more in knowledge to avoid being left behind.

The story of Ethan Mollick, a professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, is a prime example. He applied ChatGPT to his current work and realized it could create a complete textbook with reliable notes.

” The key to understanding the potential of ChatGPT is recognizing its true strengths. AI will become an effective tool

Ethan Mollick.

According to: Rest of World