AI may reduce human workloads in near future

(MENAFN) As artificial intelligence and robotics continue to advance rapidly, concerns about job security are intensifying, with many people worried that machines may eventually replace human workers. AI and robotic technologies already simplify tasks across industries—from factories to kitchens—but questions remain about their long-term impact on employment.

Futurist Gerd Leonhard offered a different perspective during Türkiye E-Commerce Week, suggesting that technology may reduce human workloads rather than eliminate them entirely. “In 10, maybe 15, 20 years, people probably will have less work as humans. So, we can only work three or four hours a day for the same money because the machines do most of the work,” he said. He added that societies will need systems such as taxes or other mechanisms to fund a universal basic income.

Leonhard explained that routine jobs are most at risk. “If your job is 90% routine, you're out of a job, like in the call center. So, in the call center in the next couple of years, we will have almost 100% possibility of people calling and talking to a robot and solving problems.” However, jobs with only partial routine tasks will allow workers to focus on other, more creative or complex activities.

He also highlighted that new roles will emerge, including interface designers and supervisors for robotic systems. “But in 10, maybe 15, 20 years, we probably will have less work as humans,” Leonhard stressed, urging workers to develop uniquely human skills. “A 30-year-old worker has to wonder if his job will be there, because AI is learning how to do it. You have to learn how to be better than the machine, more human.”

The two-day Türkiye E-Commerce Week was organized by the Trade Ministry, the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETID), and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), with Anadolu serving as the event’s global communication partner.

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