Stat Watch: Will AI Replace Us All?

What will life look like in the next 10 years? Will we have self-driving cars, be replaced by "robots" at work, or communicate via screen-less devices with brands and each other? Many believe that it won't take a decade to see these possibilities realized in at least some capacity, and artificial intelligence (AI) will likely be the catalyst.

All of these advancements, however, won't come without a fight when it impacts the workforce. A Stanford University research report, "Artificial Intelligence and Life in 2030," indicates that social and political decisions will be needed (e.g., safety nets) to protect people from structural changes in the economy like job loss.

AI is poised, Stanford suggested, "to replace people in certain kinds of jobs, such as in the driving of taxis and trucks. However, in many realms, AI will likely replace tasks rather than jobs in the near term, and will also create new kinds of jobs. But the new jobs that will emerge are harder to imagine in advance than the existing jobs that will likely be lost."

Stanford reported that the net effect on jobs is currently somewhat ambiguous, but labor markets are unlikely to benefit everyone evenly.

"The demand for some types of skills or abilities will likely drop significantly, negatively affecting the employment levels and wages of people with those skills."

While it will be up to individuals to invest in learning new skills, Stanford suggests that people who find their employment altered or terminated as a consequence of advances in AI may seek recourse in the courts with large employment law firms even having groups to address robotics and AI.

Perhaps what is most needed, however, is "a vigorous and informed debate about how to best steer AI in ways that enrich our lives and our society..."

Check out additional AI stats below...

51%

Tied with multi-device interaction, 51 percent of respondents in a recent survey stated that artificial intelligence is the most important online trend affecting user experience in the next five years.

(UserTesting, Jan. 2017)

7%

Only seven percent of "Future of Jobs Survey" respondents indicated that artificial intelligence would be a driver of change - falling behind tech like the cloud (34 percent) and big data (26 percent).

(Word Economic Forum, Jan. 2016)

$4.8 Million

The average valuation of the 1,925 AI startups (and growing) listed on AngelList is $4.8 million with more than 100 companies joining the list in Jan. 2017 alone.