Will AI Steal Your Job, or Create It?

At the moment, there is a storm brewing, an almighty collision between the digital divide and the relentless march of artificial intelligence (AI). And, as with all storms, it’s the people caught in the middle who’ll get drenched. Enter Gerardo González Chávez and his merry band of brainiacs at UNAM, who, armed with spreadsheets, equations, and that famous academic pessimism, have warned that roughly 47 percent of the jobs in the world are ripe for automation. That’s a good chunk of humanity right there, and this forecast means one simple thing: Machines are coming for our jobs.

But wait. It gets better. Apparently, the future's more than just a few robot arms welding together your next car. No, these soulless chunks of metal and wires are advancing at an alarming rate. They can now handle complex tasks, creative tasks even. That’s right, your job’s in jeopardy not just if you’re tightening bolts on a production line, but also if you fancy yourself a creative.

But before we dive headfirst into apocalyptic scenarios of mass unemployment, bread lines, and the collapse of the middle class, let’s get something straight. According to González Chávez, the first wave of automation came in the 1960s when the automotive industry thought, “Hang on, let’s replace Fred from the factory floor with a shiny robot.” And Fred, bless him, went home and sat on his sofa, cursing the day he turned down night school. Since then, robots have been doing the sort of repetitive tasks that make humans question the point of it all. You know, mundane stuff that even a pigeon could figure out.

But now, things have kicked up a gear. In today’s world, these same robots aren’t just riveting and bolting—they’re learning, thinking, and, I assume, biding their time before they figure out how to unionize. Yes, automation is no longer confined to factories. From agriculture to advanced manufacturing, the entire global occupational structure is being transformed. And this isn’t some sci-fi fantasy—it’s happening now.

Take agriculture, for instance, which is no longer the quaint picture of a farmer ploughing his fields while whistling a jaunty tune. Nope, in today’s version, you’ve got drones buzzing about, spraying pesticides, and robots planting crops. And if you thought farming would be the last bastion of humanity’s grip on work, think again. AI is already having a field day (literally), pushing humans to the margins in an industry as old as civilization itself.

And what does this result in? Well, according to González Chávez, it leads to a steep rise in unemployment or, for those lucky enough to keep their jobs, the deterioration of salaries. How lovely. So, whether you're in agriculture, manufacturing, or some office job you always secretly hoped would be taken over by machines, the message is clear: You might want to polish that CV.

The automotive industry, as González Chávez rightly points out, is the poster child for this transformation. The golden age of American muscle cars, complete with greased-up mechanics and factories buzzing with human labor, is long gone. Since the 1960s, automation has been steadily creeping in, first doing the boring stuff like tightening nuts and bolts, and now doing more interesting things like designing cars that can outthink most of us.

So, what's the problem? Simple. The “objective of capital,” as Chávez eloquently puts it, is to increase surplus value. In layman’s terms, make more money by spending less of it on you. The machines don’t need health insurance, they don’t strike, and they definitely don’t ask for vacation time. And that’s precisely the issue: What on Earth do we do with all the newly unemployed Freds and Janes when their jobs are swallowed by algorithms?

Oh, don’t get me wrong, Chávez isn’t all doom and gloom. He points out that automation does require a “productive linkage”—a jargon-laden way of saying that, sure, while the robots may be doing all the work, someone still has to build, maintain, and occasionally scold them when they misbehave. This means there will be opportunities for highly qualified workers. Key words there: “highly qualified.” For the rest of us, well, let’s just say now might be a good time to start that side hustle.

Of course, you’d think that the relentless drive toward automation would just move jobs to cheaper labor markets where it's more "convenient" to keep human workers around, right? Yes and no. González Chávez points out that in some cases, companies will indeed relocate to places where human labor remains more cost-effective. But this, he admits, is a short-term solution. In the long run, machines are simply cheaper. And capitalism, like a cold-hearted financial terminator, cares not for humanity but for efficiency.

Still, hope springs eternal, and there are alternatives. Chávez, ever the optimist, lays out a smorgasbord of new job opportunities that, if we play our cards right, could help us avoid being rendered obsolete by machines. Jobs in renewable energy, vaccine production, rural regeneration, and climate change mitigation are all areas ripe for expansion. In fact, care services alone—due to an aging global population—could create 450 million jobs in the next decade. That's a lot of doctors, nurses, and carers.

But these opportunities won’t just appear magically. We need governments and businesses to get their act together and start investing in the right places—ecological restoration, recycling, new material development, and of course, innovation. Because, let’s face it, no matter how good your robot overlords get at flipping burgers or performing heart surgery, someone still needs to design the next generation of them, right? And that's where humans could potentially hold the upper hand.

To paraphrase González Chávez, the world needs more formal jobs—jobs that not only give you a paycheck but respect your rights and improve living conditions. Jobs that strengthen nature rather than strip it for parts. It’s all very utopian, I’ll grant you, but it does make sense. We need to strengthen education, upskill workers, and make sure that we don’t end up as footnotes in history, overshadowed by the very machines we created.

Are You Falling Behind or Getting Ahead?

You’ve probably noticed it—technology is moving faster than a squirrel on caffeine, and we’re all just scrambling to keep up. If you’ve ever thought, "What on Earth happened to the world I once knew?" you're not alone. It’s a digital free-for-all out there, and if you’re not sprinting, you’re slipping.

Marcela Espinoza García, a professor from the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences (FCPyS), is here to tell us that artificial intelligence (AI) has left nothing untouched in its wake. Nothing. Your job? Changed. Your bank? Probably has more algorithms than people now. Your daily life? Well, it’s a digital jungle out there, and we’re all just trying to navigate through it.

This isn’t just a matter of keeping up with your smartphone updates or learning how to pronounce “ChatGPT” without sounding like an alien. No, the real issue, as Espinoza brilliantly highlights, is the widening digital divide. You see, it’s not just about who has the fanciest gadgets or the fastest internet connection—it’s about who knows how to use these things to their advantage, and who doesn’t. And trust me, if you’re the latter, you’re not just missing out on the latest Netflix series; you’re missing out on education, jobs, and even basic access to information. In short, you’re being left behind.

The inequality in technology access is a bit like a game of Monopoly where half the players start without any money. Sure, everyone gets to roll the dice, but some poor souls never get past “Go.” Those who have the skills to wield technology are racing ahead, grabbing all the properties, while the rest are stuck trying to figure out how to pay rent. And this is where it gets real: the people who don’t have access to technology, or don’t know how to use it, are losing out on key life opportunities. It’s not just about being able to scroll through Instagram faster—it’s about education, jobs, and having access to critical information.

Espinoza is crystal clear on this: AI and tech are not some niche areas for the geeks in Silicon Valley. These are everyday realities transforming industries left, right, and centre. Look at manufacturing, she says, or financial systems. We’ve gone from standing in long queues at the bank to avoiding human interaction altogether, using apps to move money around like we’re playing a video game. It’s more convenient, sure, but it’s also a stark reminder of how much the world has changed—and if you don’t have the skills, good luck catching up.

Take a moment to think about the manufacturing industry. Once upon a time, it was full of people putting parts together, sweating under their hard hats. Now, half of it is being done by robots who don’t take lunch breaks. It’s efficient, sure, but it’s also squeezing humans out of the picture faster than you can say “automation.” AI has also slipped its way into financial systems—apps do most of the heavy lifting now. Gone are the days when you’d pop into your local bank to sort things out; now, your banking is done on an app while you sip coffee. And data processing? Well, let’s just say that your average Excel spreadsheet is a dinosaur compared to what AI can handle now.

But—and it’s a big ‘but’—this tech wizardry isn’t just plug-and-play. It’s not enough to hand someone a shiny new tool and expect them to know how to use it. There’s a little thing called training involved. And as Espinoza rightly points out, companies need to ensure their workers are trained in AI and tech if they want to stay in the game. It’s a bit like handing a Formula 1 car to someone who’s only driven a bicycle—you can’t just expect them to jump in and start racing.

Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, or so they say. AI, as dazzling as it is, raises some tricky questions, particularly around ethics. Yes, we’ve made massive strides, but in the race to automate everything, we’ve forgotten to ask, “Should we?” The rush to AI dominance has created a landscape where only the tech-savvy thrive, leaving the rest behind in a world of outdated skills and dwindling opportunities.

Worse, we’re seeing a new breed of worker emerge—one who knows how to manage software, not machinery. This worker doesn’t get their hands dirty; they manage the robots that do. It’s the evolution of the worker from physical laborer to digital overseer. Meanwhile, the businessmen who run the show now rely on robotic systems, churning out goods and services with minimal fuss, minimal costs, and—here’s the twist—minimal regulation.

Porfirio Toledo Delgado, another professor from FCPyS, summed it up perfectly: the labor market has already changed. Gone are the days when you’d simply clock in and do your 9-to-5. We’re living in a world where robots produce goods, automation dominates, and the worker of today isn’t someone hammering away in a factory—they’re someone managing software. You can almost hear the steel toe-capped boots being swapped for soft-soled shoes.

Now, don’t get me wrong, all of this sounds very impressive, very sleek, very futuristic. But there’s a snag. The state, as Delgado points out, seems to have taken a backseat in all this. As AI systems proliferate and companies become increasingly robotic, there’s less and less oversight. Fewer regulations mean businesses can operate with impunity, using whatever means necessary to increase efficiency, cut costs, and boost profits. And if that means replacing a few thousand workers with robots—so be it. The bottom line, after all, is the bottom line.

So, where does that leave us? In a world where inequality isn’t just about income or opportunity—it’s about who can keep up with technology and who’s left in the digital dust. And as the divide widens, those on the wrong side are losing out on more than just gadgets. They’re losing access to the fundamental tools that drive success in the 21st century. But Espinoza isn’t waving the white flag just yet. She’s calling for more training, more education, and more effort to close the digital divide.

Because let’s face it: AI is here to stay. The robots are taking over the production lines, algorithms are running your bank account, and the world of work has already transformed into something barely recognizable. But if we can level the playing field—give people the skills they need to thrive in this brave new world—there’s still a chance for all of us to keep up.

The future may be full of robots, but that doesn’t mean we have to be left behind, does it? Or maybe, just maybe, the robots will have their day in the sun while the rest of us are left queuing at the unemployment office—or worse, the bank, where the app isn’t working that day. Now that would be a nightmare.