AI is going to largely replace jobs that are easy to automate. This according to the international economic cooperation organization OECD, which makes the claim in a recent report.
The AI revolution has major implications for the labour market in OECD member countries, the report states. Just over a quarter of jobs (27%) in these countries that can be automated in some way, will be replaced by AI soon.
Furthermore, it appears that workers are now actually feeling AI’s growing influence. About three out of five workers surveyed say they fear their jobs will be replaced by AI.
Nevertheless, about two-thirds of workers who already work with AI say the solutions help a lot. In particular, AI makes work less dangerous or strenuous.
Recommendations for governments
In its report, the OECD comes up with recommendations for governments to maximize the impact of AI on the labor market.
The report gives three recommendations. First, governments should better support low-income employees, for example through a minimum wage or tax breaks. This will reduce to some extent the impact of the advent of AI on their purchasing power.
In addition, the use of AI in the workplace requires new safety measures to guarantee its responsible usage. Governments should aim to ensure that AI does not hinder the labour market, but rather supports it.
Furthermore, AI makes completely new skill sets a necessity. Therefore, according to the OED, governments should ensure that enough people are trained in the use and application of AI.
As it happens, the OECD study was conducted in 2022, before the emergence of tools like ChapGPT.
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