Once upon a time, capitalists and science fiction writers postulated that the future would entail people

working less and less. Machines, automation, and intelligent tools would do most of the work people
would otherwise do. With more leisure time than ever before, the working class would have more time
to engage in artistic or intellectual pursuits. This was, in many ways, a utopian vision of the future. The
reality is more complicated.

The workplace is becoming increasingly automated. Machines do so much work that used to require
actual human beings. And little by little, artificial intelligence is starting to become a factor when it
comes to the job market and the workplace.

The Game is Changing

In the study The Future of Employment: How Susceptible are Jobs to Computerization?, the authors
noted that 47% of US employment is at risk. These jobs and associated ones are likely to become
automated in the near future, rendering the humans redundant. This figure can be rather alarming, as
that is a huge sector of society that is going to be replaced by a thinking machine. It's a figure that
sounds ominous, the sort of thing that can cause people to feel alarmed and defensive.

There's also the discomforting notion that artificial intelligence can learn. If an AI can learn, then it can
adapt and master disciplines. It can understand the fields and skills that take humans years, if not
lifetimes. A computer that can learn is a step up from one that merely automates a process because it is
a degree closer to the possibilities available using a human worker.

How Things Are

However, just how valid is the threat of AI changing the job market and replacing humans entirely?

First, let's examine the obvious. AI and automation will change the game. A number of jobs are gone,
and unless the machines break down, they're not coming back. People need to accept that. The nature of
businesses wanting to maximize their profits while reducing their costs means that they'll embrace AI
just as they embraced robots and mass production in the past.

New Opportunities
However, for each door AI closes, it opens another one. Every job that a robot or computer takes opens
up another one related to maintaining or keeping an eye on those same machines. As data and IT
expands, new jobs tied to these industries – cloud computing, software updates, cybersecurity, data
processing – will emerge, eager to get new people to fill the roles. AI integration can open new jobs,
for those who are willing to learn and be trained in these fields.

IT professionals are going to be in higher than ever before, and this is not the only area of expansion.
All these new personnel and the necessary infrastructure will need buildings to be housed in. That
means new construction work, along with maintaining those buildings.

The days of getting a job just by being willing to work are going away. However, for those who are
willing to learn and train, there is a whole new world of lucrative careers waiting for them.