Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) is not only a threat to white-collar jobs but is also rapidly advancing in the manufacturing industry, endangering blue-collar positions.
Key Points
- Gen AI is fast-tracking the fourth industrial revolution, with manufacturing witnessing transformations in automation, predictive maintenance, and quality control.
- Over recent years, tasks like operating forklifts have been taken over by smart transport robots (STRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in factories and warehouses.
- Gen AI can act as a “digital twin” for a production line or plant, potentially replacing human roles in monitoring and operations.
- Ed Watal believes that as Gen AI is integrated with computer vision and becomes more multi-modal, many blue-collar roles will be at risk.
- Gen AI could drastically reduce the number of experienced workers required as their expertise is integrated into a “digital supervisor twin”.
- AI-powered quality tools are already capable of ongoing monitoring and optimization, which could significantly decrease the need for multiple quality assurance jobs.
- A Goldman Sachs analysis has indicated that advancements in Gen AI could put up to 300,000 million jobs globally at risk due to automation.
- However, AI might also be a solution to the labor shortage, as 72% of manufacturers have reported challenges in attracting and retaining employees.
Key Insight
While the implications of Gen AI on white-collar roles have been frequently discussed, the technology’s swift integration in manufacturing reveals that blue-collar jobs are also at significant risk of automation and replacement.
Why This Matters
The potential displacement of blue-collar workers by Gen AI emphasizes the need for industries and societies to prepare for the broader implications of automation on the workforce, economic structures, and community stability.
Notable Quote
“As Gen AI gets applied to computer vision and becomes more multi-modal, allowing people to upload an image or video and ask questions about it, more blue-collar jobs will be at risk,” – Ed Watal, founder and principal of Intellibus.
