80% of Current Employment will be Obsolete due to AI: SingularityNET CEO

During a recent Web Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Goertzel opposed efforts to restrict artificial intelligence research and indicated that AGI is just a few years away

According to US-Brazilian researcher and artificial intelligence specialist Ben Goertzel, up to 80% of human employment may be replaced by artificial intelligence in the next few years. Goertzel is a mathematician, cognitive scientist, robot builder, and the founder and CEO of SingularityNET. It’s a research organisation  developing “Artificial General Intelligence,” or AGI, which is artificial intelligence endowed with human cognitive capabilities.

“You could probably obsolete maybe 80% of jobs that people do, without having an AGI, by my guess. Not with ChatGPT exactly as a product. But with systems of that nature, which are going to follow in the next few years,” Goertzel told AFP in an interview.

80% of Current Employment likely become obsolete due to AI: SingularityNET CEO

During a recent Web Summit speech in Rio de Janeiro, Goertzel said that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is only a few years away. He stated that the anticipated job loss brought on by AI was actually a ‘blessing in disguise’. He believed that most professions involving paperwork can be automated. Goertzel further stated that individuals can find more fulfilling pursuits for their life than working for a wage.

“I don’t think it’s a threat. I think it’s a benefit. People can find better things to do with their life than work for a living. Pretty much every job involving paperwork should can be automated,” he added.

Interestingly some time back, Bill Gates also talked about AI replacing some of the Teaching jobs. The article can be found here.

Dealing With Job Losses

However, Goertzel also noted that there would be societal problems during the transitional phase as AI gradually replaces more and more human jobs. Although it’s vital to take these difficulties into account, he claimed he doesn’t know how to resolve all of them.

80% of Current Employment likely become obsolete due to AI: SingularityNET CEO

Even with the anticipated employment losses, Goertzel has high hopes for AGI. He thinks that AGI can contribute to resolving some of the world’s most pressing issues including poverty and climate change. According to him, AGI will also be able to provide some light on who we are and where we fit into the cosmos.

“The problem I see is in the interim period, when AIs are obsoleting one human job after another. I don’t know how (to) solve all the social issues,” he concluded.

It is essential to think about the social repercussions as we get ready for this disruptive period. Our focus should be towards striving for solutions that support a seamless transition. The future of work and human-AI collaboration has promise and complexity. It requires careful considerations for a successful cohabitation, especially with AGI on the horizon.

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