What are realistic future jobs for humans in a world where most (but not all) of society can be and is run by AI?
When pondering the jobs that are not well suited to AI, two factors come to mind: trust and connection.
Although technology is advancing rapidly, and AI may reduce the likelihood of accidents in many cases, there are certain situations for which I would not risk AI errors. Take, for instance, childcare. Would you trust your child with a robot? Ignoring the fact that AI childcare would involve a borderline creepy level of surveillance, children are too precious to leave without any human attendants present.
Obviously there are countless examples in which humans failed the children in their care, but I personally take comfort in knowing that humans can recognize when something did not go according to plan and can reason through alternatives. In the same situation, would the robot’s algorithm produce safe alternatives? Could a bug in the program result in a dangerous response? It’s simply not a chance I would be willing to take, and I suspect many parents agree. As a result, I believe childcare is a job that will be left to humans in the future.
Beyond trust, humans crave connection in certain interactions. We may not care if a robot or a human prepared our food because food preparation is often an impersonal act to begin with. However, when working through trauma during a therapy session, most people feel more comfortable opening up to a being who understands the human experience. 64
An AI program can provide tips for reducing anxiety and generate exercises for improving your mental health. True mental health, however, requires interaction with others. Humans need connection with other humans to function optimally. Therefore, professions that involve meaningful and personal relationships, such as counseling, will continue to be filled by humans.
On a final note, the question states that in this hypothetical society, not all functions are yet run by AI. The question implies, therefore, that humans are still necessary for creating and maintaining the AI programs. Until AI can diagnose and debug all of its own problems, humans will need to fix the code and fine-tune AI before AI can fully take over the impersonal jobs that do not rely on trust. Programming truly is a career of the future. 64