The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Various Jobs

Faustinus Purwanggo
4 min readOct 7, 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the way we work and interact with technology. It has brought about significant progresses in automation, data analysis, and decision-making processes. In spite of that, these progresses have consequences, especially for certain job sectors. In this article, we will explore why AI has negatively affected the following ten job categories: Data Entry Clerks, Telemarketers, Factory Workers, Toll Booth Operators, Routine Customer Service Representatives, Document Reviewers in Legal and Finance, Stock Traders, Data Analysts, Bookkeepers, and Radiologists. All of these professions have been negatively impacted by the rise of AI and automation.

Photo in Pexels by Alex Knight

Data Entry Clerks
Data Entry Clerks have historically played an important role in manually inputting data into systems. But, AI-powered technologies, such as Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP), have significantly decreased the need for manual data entry. These technologies can scan and process large volumes of data accurately and efficiently, which eliminate errors often connected with human data entry.

Telemarketers
Telemarketing is a job that depends steadily on repetitive tasks, such as making outbound calls and reading scripts to prospective customers. AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants have arisen as effective alternatives to human telemarketers. These AI systems can involve customers in natural conversations, answer queries, and give product information 24 hours a day, which reduce the need for human telemarketers.

Factory Workers
Factory workers across various industries have witnessed the integration of automation and robotics on factory floors. These machines can carry out tasks with greater precision, speed, and consistency in comparison to human workers. As a result, the need for manual labor in manufacturing and production lines has decreased, which cause many factory workers to lose their jobs.

Toll Booth Operators
The role of Toll Booth Operators, who manually collect toll fees, has decreased significantly because of the implementation of automated toll collection systems, such as Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) and license plate recognition technology. These systems enable vehicles to pass through toll booths without the assistance for human operators, which has caused operators lose their jobs in this sector.

Routine Customer Service Representatives
AI-powered chatbots and virtual agents have become increasingly skillful at handling routine customer questions and support requests. They can give quick and accurate responses, which make them a cheaper and efficient alternative to hiring human customer service representatives for tasks that do not require complex problem-solving or empathy.

Document Reviewers in Legal and Finance
In legal and financial sectors, processes for reviewing documents take a lot of time and effort. Algorithms for machine learning and AI-driven software have the capability to review and analyze vast volumes of legal and financial documents, contracts, and agreements. This technology can identify relevant information and anomalies with greater speed and accuracy, which decrease the need for human reviewers and significantly impact job opportunities in these fields.

Stock Traders
Stock trading, once reliant on human intuition and decision-making, has witnessed a change with the rise of algorithmic trading and robot-advisors. These AI-driven systems can process lots of market data, execute trades, and optimize investment portfolios more efficiently than human stock traders. As a result, the demand for human stock traders has decreased, particularly in high-frequency trading environments.

Data Analysts
Data analysis is a sector that has been greatly affected by AI and machine learning. Data analysis tools and platforms powered by AI can process and interpret data quicker and with greater accuracy than humans. While data analysts are still needed for interpreting complex data and providing strategic insights, the routine data processing tasks they once carried out are now automated, which decrease the overall need for human analysts.

Bookkeepers
Bookkeeping involves the careful recording and organization of financial transactions. Accounting software, which is AI driven, can automate much of this process, from data entry to financial statement creation. This automation has led to a reduced need for human bookkeepers, especially for data entry tasks that take a lot of time and are repetitive.

Radiologists
AI-driven diagnostic tools are posing a threat to radiologists, who are in charge of reading medical pictures. Machine learning algorithms can analyze medical images, such as X-rays and MRIs, with extraordinary accuracy, often doing better than human radiologists in specific tasks. While radiologists continue to play an important role in clinical decision-making, AI has greatly impacted their workflow and may cause fewer job opportunities in the future.

Artificial Intelligence has certainly caused profound changes in various job sectors, and the ten professions discussed in this article have been greatly affected. While AI has the potential to improve productivity and efficiency, it also creates challenges for individuals in these roles who must adapt to these changes or look for alternative job opportunities. As technology continues to improve, it is important for people and societies to anticipate these changes and invest in education and training programs to equip the workforce with the skills needed in an AI-driven world. The coexistence of humans and AI will play a significant role in determining the nature of work in the future. To ensure a smooth change for both people and industries, proactive adaptation is important.

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