AI AND JOB LOSS
Trump official: AI effect on jobs is ‘far away’
The Trump administration appears to be taking a hands-off approach to preparing for the future of automation and artificial intelligence, despite warnings from tech analysts who say AI is already here and helped guide policy measures enacted in the waning months of the Obama presidency.
During a press event last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters he’s not concerned by the prospect of millions of Americans losing their jobs to artificial intelligence, saying he doesn’t expect the technological shift to happen for a long time.
“That is so far in the future, in terms of artificial intelligence taking over American jobs, we’re like so far away from that, not even on my radar screen,” Mnuchin said at an event hosted by news website Axios. “I think it’s 50 or 100 more years.”
Although it’s unclear whether Mnuchin’s comments represent a formal administration position, the treasury secretary is traditionally one of the president’s most influential economic advisers. Regardless of whether it’s supported by Trump, Mnuchin’s stance represents a 180-degree turn from that of former President Barack Obama.
In the final three months of his presidency, Obama’s White House released two reports detailing the impending impact of artificial intelligence and the necessity to craft policies aimed at dealing with the shockwave that cutting-edge tech will send through the economy.
“AI has already begun to transform the American workplace, change the types of jobs available, and reshape the skills that workers need in order to thrive,” one report said. “Aggressive policy action will be needed to help Americans who are disadvantaged by these changes and to ensure that the enormous benefits of AI and automation are developed by and available to all.”
Mnuchin’s remarks were panned by many tech industry analysts, the majority of whom stressed that the effects of AI are already being felt.
“If they aren’t worried about the effects of AI, robotics and other technological changes, then they’ve got their head in the sand,” said Thomas Kochan, codirector of the MIT Sloan Institute for Work and Employment Research. “We have to have a national strategy for preparing for the future of a more technologically driven workplace.”
Experts say AI has the potential to significantly impact nearly every American industry. Selfdriving cars and trucks could deliver a massive blow to professional passenger and freight drivers and AI-supported health care, such as that being developed by IBM’s Watson, is already scanning health data to suggest possible ailments to doctors.
And though Kochan said AI doesn’t mean the end of every job as we know it, he said many professionals will have to learn how to do their jobs in different ways.
“There are going to be gradual changes, and some will be effected more quickly than others, but there are very few occupations that are not going to be affected,” Kochan said. “There will be an enormous backlash if we don’t prepare for the future.”