AI, or artificial intelligence, is a concept that we are becoming increasingly familiar with. Some see endless opportunities for us as a society and as individuals, others see threats. AI is likely to bring big changes. How will the future labor market be affected?

AI is already used in various fields and is constantly developing. AI technology took a giant step forward this year when it was developed to be able to learn itself by gathering information, so-called generative AI and can now perform complex and analytical tasks. This became clear to the public when Chat GPT was released this spring. Chat GPT is created by the American company Open AI and is similar to a regular chat, but it is an AI system that responds.

The World Economic Forum WEF, last spring in their report Future of the jobs listed the skills and characteristics for us that will be important for the future and with AI. Among the main ones we find creative and analytical ability but also curiosity, learning and flexibility.

Report: Future of the jobs (weforum.org)

Futurion is the white-collar workers’ think tank for the future of working life and was founded in 2016 by TCO unions and TCO. Futurion’s mission is to be a tone-setting think tank for the working life of the future. Last spring, they listed five jobs that are unlikely to be eliminated by AI and remain relatively unchanged in the future.

Five jobs that will not be replaced by AI (futurion.se)

AI will change more than we think

We have asked Futurion’s CEO Ann-Therese Enarsson some questions, for insight into AI and the future labor market.

Ann-Therese Enarsson sees that AI will change the labor market much more than we think and that employers do not yet always know how much and in what way. Jobs that we considered relatively safe, such as animation and programming, will also be replaced. There will be big changes and it will also become more difficult to draw the line between what is AI-produced and what is not. AI merges with many roles.

– In principle, all white-collar professions will be affected. If you work with text, images or research, you may be affected to a somewhat greater degree than others right now. On the other hand, of course, some physical tasks that are in labor professions will remain. Our advice is to constantly future-proof yourself by strengthening your skills. And then mainly in the areas that are most difficult to replace with AI, says Ann-Therese.

There will of course also be skills in the future that will be relevant in the labor market where AI has difficulty gaining the upper hand. Ann-Therese highlights creativity, negotiation skills and social competence.

– AI can be creative within certain limits – such as “come up with a troll-friendly pop melody” – but have difficulty thinking outside the box. We usually remind to meet AI with HI, i.e. to strengthen the human intelligences. Among our human abilities, AI will have a hard time replacing dexterity and “thinking outside the box,” she says.

It is required that you are self-motivated and curious

As tips for skill development, Ann-Therese mentions reading books, but also trying different AI tools, logging in and playing and learning! Be active in terms of skills development, seek and request skills development at your workplace and, above all, carry out the skills development you are offered. It will be required that you yourself are driven and curious about your learning. Then the state, the union or the employer can be a support if funding or the like is needed.

Both exciting and terrifying

For the young people who have not yet entered work, the labor market of the future is their only labor market. We asked one of Vision’s student informants, Annie Rydlinger, who studies media and communication science at Södertörn, how she thinks about AI and the future labor market.

– AI is both exciting and scary because, in the same way as many others, I am fascinated by AI and the recent growth around it. It is fantastic in many ways and can really help to get work done that otherwise takes a long time, for example looking up cancer diagnoses so our nurses and doctors can spend more time with their patients. But AI is scary at the same time, partly because of how it can work independently as time goes by, but also how it can replace many professions in the future. Automation of work has happened earlier in history, for example the industrial revolution, where people were also replaced by machines. But I hope it will be used to streamline work and the ability to process complex information or complex questions more effectively and not lead to greater unemployment.