Automation

Across the country, it’s quitting time. Hiring continues to sputter, with payrolls rising by only 199,000 across the United States. While the December Jobs Report shows that unemployment fell to just 3.9%, a more troubling statistic lurks beneath these results.

Ever since the industrial revolution, automation has been a key element in most new technologies. Nearly every branch of science wants to create autonomous and efficient inventions that make things easier for all of us. But with the rise of artificial intelligence, automation has gained a new aspect. We now have the ability to create smart robots that can do a number of higher-level tasks. We’ve moved well beyond the classic images of hulking robots on assembly lines more typical in factories during the 20th century.

Facial recognition seems like the stuff of science fiction. Technology that’s capable of identifying a human face from a photograph or video and matching it from among hundreds of millions of other faces stored in a database of faces—if that doesn’t sound futuristic, we don’t know what does.

For years, AI technology has been spreading an astronomical rate — and 2021 won’t be an exception. As so much of the world moved online in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, AI made great strides to keep up. According to tech publications, there are a few AI trends we can expect to see more of this year. Here's a list to help explain how these trends will impact our lives in 2021.

Chatbots are now being used to aid in the enrollment process at a college, university, or any other higher education institution. The chatbots are being used during the "courting" period of enrollment, when students are on a fact-finding mission to figure out which schools are interesting to them. Students can introduce themselves to a chatbot found on a university's website. That bot will look up specific information from the applicant's file, provide relevant answers, communicate with the student in their native language, and so forth.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai is experimenting with the use of artificial intelligence to streamline the demand for the metro services in Dubai. The tech will assist in crowd management during peak hours. The interactive system used can respond to the needs of riders by proposing convenient transit timing for passengers through the analysis of service patterns. It can adjust recommendations based on overcrowding. Essentially, AI develops a model to simulate a train journey throughout the day using data gathered from real riders. Then it learns from that model and makes timing recommendations.

Trying to maintain consistent education during the Covid-19 pandemic has proven to be difficult, to say the least. AI has been helping educators through online schooling and education management systems. The pandemic has made some school districts switch to hybrid learning – a combination of in-classroom learning and at-home learning. AI has been useful in switching between those two modes.

The common idea that AI will replace humans in the workforce certainly true in part, but that’s not the whole story. Diverse populations are going to be needed to not only program but run artificial intelligence. And those populations wont necessarily need higher degrees, either. Instead, think specific skills. Think skill training. Schools can provide curricula that meet AI workforce demands, such as networking, software development, cybersecurity. It’s not rocket science. It’s computer science.

As AI becomes increasingly widespread, the impact of its many services, programs, algorithms, and functions continues to grow. The powerful computers needed to power AI use large quantities of energy and, as a result, put out large quantities of carbon emissions. If the current pace continues, the environmental impact of AI could be severe. Fortunately, the trajectory can be altered. A new program called Carbontracker, developed by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, can be used in conjunction with machine learning to keep track of the carbon footprint of AI. This data, they hope, can raise awareness about the negative climate effect and spur change.

Massive changes to recruiting and hiring are already underway thanks to advances in artificial intelligence. Bots are writing and posting job listings with more thoughtful, searchable keywords. Resumes are scanned, sorted, and matched automatically. Video interviews are analyzed for potential candidate behaviors. The hiring world is getting more personalized.

With access to only your basic data – location, background, recent searches, and job history – artificial intelligence can identify which jobs you are most qualified for and can send you those tailormade recommendations. In addition to the variety of AI-related online tools helping job seekers improve resumes and target relevant jobs, AI is also assembling modern job posting boards themselves.

Educators have rallied behind AI as a tool that could be instrumental to their success and effectiveness in the classroom. Using AI tools to save teachers time by grading papers or more accurately identifying struggling students through certain behaviors can make all the difference in a school strapped for resources. And don’t forget about inclusivity: AI can be used to translate on the fly, so more students from diverse backgrounds can participate in class. Used properly, AI can level the playing field.

By 2030, artificial intelligence and AI-related technology will have replaced or eliminated 4.5 million jobs held by African Americans. By that time, 22% of all jobs will be replaced or eliminated. However, the Black community in particular is at a 10% higher risk of losing jobs from automation than the general public. In fact, Black men who lack a college degree are particularly vulnerable, while Black women fare a bit better.