By Paolo Velilla

The idea of computers and robots potentially replacing human labor is a concept rooted in science fiction dystopia. Yet, such reality is starting to become more fact than fiction, as recent advancements in artificial intelligence have showcased the potential that computers can have in the future. With the students of today bound to become the workers of tomorrow, what could that mean for the youth when millions of jobs end up getting substituted by technology? 

Artificial intelligence is currently one of the biggest stories in tech, as advancements in machine learning have opened the door for several innovations. In 2021, an AI development company called OpenAI unveiled DALL-E, a deep learning model capable of digital images based on user submitted text prompts. Then, in December of last year, OpenAI went on to launch ChatGPT, a deep learning chatbot where users could participate in real-time conversations with the AI. It is smart enough to respond to different types of prompts, from basic questions and mathematical problems, to more complex requests such as drafting formal letters and creating completely fictional stories. Both DALL-E and ChatGPT have taken the public by storm, with the latter reportedly amassing 57 million monthly users as of writing.

The company responsible for many of these innovations, OpenAI, started in 2015 as a non-profit founded by current CEO Sam Altman alongside tech industry veterans Elon Musk and Peter Thiel among others, and has recently garnered the attention from some of the largest names in tech. Just recently, Microsoft has reportedly planned to invest $10 billion in OpenAI to compete in the search engine space, and Google has identified the company’s tech to be a threat to their business, and has since shifted many of its teams to prioritize on AI. Many speculate that something such as ChatGPT could one day replace the search engine; however, because of biases within the model’s current system—something that Altman has even admitted on Twitter—it’s still uncertain whether or not artificial intelligence should be trusted as a source of information.

The potential of artificial intelligence is slowly being realized; ChatGPT is already semi-capable of various tasks such as accountancy, writing corporate documents, and even legal essays; so, is it likely to see a future where work is completely replaced by computers? Sam Altman predicts that this technology will cause a large shift in the global economy, likening it to something on the scale of the Industrial and Agricultural Revolution, and that it is hard to predict which industries will be completely unaffected by advancements in AI. This is not the first time humanity has had to deal with the issue of technology replacing the workforce. While the image of factory workers leaving in droves after being substituted by robots is not completely accurate, automation has shown to be a contributing factor to the stagnation in wages for low-skilled workers (particularly in a developed country such as the United States). This results in a widening income gap between more- and less- educated workers. The Philippines already suffers from some of the worst inequality rates in East Asia, with 14 percent of national income being divided to the bottom 50% of the population. So, the results of further automation in the Philippines could worsen such problems, especially since 55% of employed Filipinos are in the service sector.

So, there is reason to believe that if society were to adopt artificial intelligence into the workforce, then the same effect could happen for white-collar and even professional jobs, creating the same stagnation for the middle class. Further, there is the issue with education and hence the uncertainty of careers being substituted. What then is the point of taking a four-year degree only for it to be rendered obsolete by the time someone enters the workforce? More so, because of the exponential rate at which technology advances, it is very likely for someone to be out of a career by the time they complete college.

Many solutions have been proposed in terms of alleviating the effects of automation; but, unfortunately such solutions are still imperfect. The “robot-tax” that was advocated for by Bill Gates is one such solution. It can delay the replacement of laborers, allowing them to be able to find alternate careers, but the problem with such a solution is that it doesn’t do enough to ensure that said workers will be able to find another line of work. There’s also the idea of universal basic income, which is capable of addressing the inequality issue. However, such policy would be difficult to sustain under the current system, and would require many other changes to complement it. Then there is the proposed solution of educating employees of sectors replaced by automation into new emerging sectors. In theory, this solution is capable of addressing the issue of where these workers could go after being substituted, but this comes with many issues particularly those in the lower classes. 

For one, not everyone can afford to be re-educated. Apart from the expenses that come with education, some people cannot afford to be unemployed for an extended period of time. Especially in the context of the Philippines, the question remains whether or not the public education system is capable of re-educating millions of adults in these supposed emerging sectors, which could potentially leave out many Filipinos who simply cannot afford to go back to school. Moreover, none of these solutions address the problem of wage stagnation, because while someone might not outright lose their job, it is likely their career will see little in the way of growth over the years.

The unfortunate truth is that Generation Z seems to be one in the middle of a global transition, and with the increasing accelerating rate at which technology advances, the youth of the present are going to find themselves having to readjust to society sometime in the distant future. That does not mean that said transition cannot be made easier for the students and workers of today, but doing so would require a large societal shift, one that perhaps exceeds that of the Industrial Revolution. 

The fact is that artificial intelligence has the potential to benefit all humans, but that will only happen if said technology is developed with noble intention. History has shown that technology does not always advance with the lower classes in mind, and that behavior does not seem to be changing with regard to artificial intelligence. The ideal use of technological advancement would be to aid human laborers, but if all it does is take away livelihoods and merely earn profit for its creators and developers, then it truly has no meaningful purpose. If artificial intelligence only exists to appease the capitalist, what then is the point? Artificial intelligence and its continued advancement marks a crossroads for humanity and the capitalist system that seems incompatible in a world run by machine.

Thumbnail by Enriquee Ponon