Worried about losing your job to AI? Expert points to the actual threat

A new study shows nearly half of U.S. workers are concerned their jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence, but one expert points to a more realistic threat.

The widespread use of artificial intelligence tools has many workers concerned that the rapidly-evolving technology will eventually result in them losing their job, and one expert says that is a real concern — but not in the way some might expect.

The 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report recently released by Microsoft and LinkedIn found that 45% of knowledge workers worldwide say they are worried that AI will replace them, but Laurence Liew, director for AI Innovation at AI Singapore, says there is a more immediate threat.

"AI is not going to replace you," Liew said during a panel discussion at Salesforce’s World Tour Essentials event in Singapore, according to Business Today. "You’re going to be replaced by someone who uses AI to outperform you."

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Liew went on to argue that the most important skill workers can develop today is how to utilize generative AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT effectively, by learning how to provide detailed prompts that will deliver more conversational results. 

"You have to give the AI a lot of context — treat AI like a very hardworking intern that will make mistakes occasionally," he said. "If you think about it, if you’re [asking] an intern to do something, it won’t be one sentence. The intern would probably be scratching their head on what to do."

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According to the same Work Trend report, most professionals are already working on their AI skills, so the competition in this arena is already ramping up.

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The report found the use of AI tools among knowledge workers across the globe has nearly doubled just over the past six months, with 75% acknowledging they use it.