Interest in artificial intelligence (AI) has steadily grown among enthusiasts since the 1950s, when Alan Turing first introduced the concept of measuring computer intelligence, but it wasn’t until the general public started paying attention. It wasn’t until November 2022 (see trends).
Headlines about the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT began dominating forums, social media, and broadcasts alike.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a user-friendly conversation-based tool has emerged that is free for the general public to use. The tool generates human-like text responses derived from a vast dataset of existing information: nearly the entirety of publicly available human knowledge.
The advantages of such technology were immediately obvious. Users can receive 24/7 support for a variety of tasks, including tutoring, code troubleshooting, recipe suggestions, writing assistance, and even fitness and health advice.
But the release of such tools was met with an equally healthy amount of skepticism. Was the world ready for a work like this to be released yet?Can it be widely disseminated? The introduction of AI will be a net negative for humanity.?
Important questions have important answers…but there was no time to discuss them. [on the broader public scene]. This tool, along with several competing technologies, came into the limelight.
Conversations quickly began to shift toward how AI would impact the collective workplace. That was just over a year ago, and the effects are already being felt today.
Jobs to be replaced by AI
Bloomberry’s recent Workplace AI study scrutinized more than 5 million freelance job postings to uncover the rapid impact of artificial intelligence on the freelancing industry.
the studyaims to identify which jobs will be replaced by AI, highlighting the evolving landscape of freelance work and its future direction.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, freelance writing was one of the hardest-hit categories, with 33% of job listings withdrawn since ChatGPT was launched.
Similarly, job openings related to translation (-19%) and customer support (-16%), which are seemingly simple tasks for trained autonomous systems, also fell significantly.
“Creative writing, data entry, and basic graphic design roles will be most impacted by AI integration. These fields will see a significant shift toward automation, and AI tools will be able to perform tasks traditionally performed by humans. “We’re starting to be able to do that,” ChatGPT gushed when asked to analyze the research findings.
And in the meantime Outlook While the poverty of workers in the freelance category most affected by AI is unsurprising, the broader freelance market has shown signs of embracing generative AI.
The research highlights the growing demand for: online jobs Associated with AI oversight roles such as AI trainer and ethics compliance manager, it signals a shift to more specialized positions that leverage human oversight of AI systems.
Additionally, “Since ChatGPT was released, video editing/production jobs have increased by 39%, graphic design jobs have increased by 8%, and web design jobs have increased by 10%… This was surprising given the anecdotes that “some people use ChatGPT to generate code, illustrations, and even full-featured videos,” wrote study author Henley Wing Chiu.
Industry experts agree, pointing to the transformative potential of AI in freelancing. Dr. Helena Ford, a leading expert on AI and the labor market, says: It’s about transforming work. The future belongs to those who can complement AI, rather than compete with it. ”
Related: 12 ways to increase your income as a freelance writer
Should freelancers consider pivoting?
As AI continues to advance, the lines between tasks that require human intuition and those that can be automated are becoming increasingly blurred.
Bloomberry research highlights the dual nature of AI in the freelance world. On the one hand, AI threatens traditional freelance work and automates tasks with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
On the one hand, it creates new opportunities. make money online For those who want to adapt and evolve. The findings suggest an urgent need for freelancers to pivot to roles that value creative, strategic, and empathetic skills and cannot be easily replicated by AI.
Related: We asked over 1,000 everyday people about AI. Here’s what they said: