AI’s Influence on Jobs: A Controversial Tech Debate

“Stop Hiring Humans,” declared a bold sign at an AI conference in Las Vegas, reflecting growing concerns about how advanced AI models are reshaping the job market.

“We’re not worried about being cautious—we’re here to start the conversation,” said Fahad Alam of Artisan, a startup presenting at the HumanX AI event.

AI Sales Agents

The San Francisco-based company is promoting AI agents—virtual sales representatives designed to identify leads, reach out to potential customers, draft emails, and schedule meetings.

AI agents, which take on decision-making tasks traditionally handled by humans, have become the latest trend in the generative AI wave that began with ChatGPT’s launch in 2022.

According to Artisan’s website, its standard AI avatar, Ava, operates at 96% lower costs than a human performing the same role.

Unlike many AI companies that tread carefully around the workforce impact of generative AI, Artisan is taking a direct and unapologetic approach.

“I don’t see this as replacing employees but rather allowing them to focus on tasks only humans can do,” said Josh Constine of venture capital firm SignalFire.

Predictions about AI’s impact on jobs vary widely. Goldman Sachs estimates that automation could eliminate 300 million jobs worldwide.

A 2024 Metrigy report found that 89% of surveyed firms had reduced customer relations staff in the past year due to generative AI.

Conversely, 70% of major companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum plan to hire workers with AI-related skills in the coming years.

“This is natural evolution,” said Joe Murphy of D-iD, a company specializing in video avatars that recently partnered with Microsoft.

“Like the invention of the car, AI is creating a new industry where jobs will be both lost and created.”

Office Computing Reduces Administrative Role

Supporting this perspective, U.S. Department of Labor data shows that jobs for secretaries and administrative assistants declined from 4.1 million to 3.4 million between 1992 and 2023, coinciding with the rise of office computing.

Over the same period, the number of computer scientists more than doubled, growing from around 500,000 to 1.2 million.

Despite this shift, concerns about AI replacing human workers have led some to advocate for a more cautious approach.

“You’re offering software that takes over a large part of their workforce,” said Tomasz Tunguz, founder of Theory Ventures. “You can’t market it that directly.”

“Some clients prefer to keep their AI use under wraps,” added Alam.

There’s no doubt that workplace transformation is underway, but the full extent of its impact remains uncertain.

Analysts predict job losses in fields such as programming, call centers, translation, and travel services.

However, some caution against taking startups’ claims—whether optimistic or concerning—at face value.

Balancing AI’s Promises and Risks

“Tech innovators tend to exaggerate the positives while downplaying the negatives,” said Mark Hass, a marketing professor at Arizona State University.

Many startups, however, push back against claims that they are misleading the public about AI’s effect on jobs.

“The majority of companies we speak with aren’t adopting AI for efficiency alone—they’re focused on revenue growth,” said Paloma Ochi of Decagon, a marketing AI startup.

“And when businesses grow, that benefits everyone. It creates more opportunities for human workers within the company.”

“Most clients don’t want to lay off employees,” added Joshua Rumsey, senior sales engineer at Aisera, whose AI agents assist in finance and HR. Instead, they aim to expand without hiring new staff as current employees leave.

Given these disruptions, Hass urged greater transparency, warning that unexpected job losses could spark public backlash.

“Discussing the implications doesn’t weaken AI’s case—I believe its adoption is inevitable. But failing to address concerns in a meaningful way creates room for misunderstanding,” he said.

Read the original article on: TechXPlore

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