New artificial intelligence (AI) tools are changing the way we live, work and study. And while many people are excited for these changes, there are concerns about what the new technology could mean for some jobs.
And according to research from the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO), it’s the jobs traditionally done by women that are most at risk.
Working with Poland’s National Research Institute, the ILO has prepared a report entitled Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure.
The report looked at nearly 2,900 work tasks, examining how likely they were to be automated with generative AI — that is, AI that can create things like text, audio and images. The report then grouped these tasks into specific jobs to estimate how “exposed” different types of work will be to AI.
And it was found that a quarter of jobs around the world will potentially be “exposed” to generative AI. This increases to 34% of jobs in high-income countries.
It was also found that 9.6% of traditionally female jobs in high-income countries are likely to be affected by AI, compared with 3.5% of those more traditionally done by men. This is because AI is increasingly being used to do the kind of administrative work done by people in clerical and secretarial jobs, who are more likely to be women.
Other jobs more likely to be affected by AI are those in media, software and finance, as they too have a high proportion of tasks that can be automated and are highly digital.
However, the ILO says there are few jobs that can be entirely automated. Even though many tasks can be made more efficient with generative AI, they generally still need a human involved.
The report asks governments, companies and workers to collaborate to develop strategies to improve productivity and job quality, particularly in sectors that are more exposed to AI.
The ILO’s Janine Berg said the report “helps countries across the world assess potential exposure and prepare their labor markets for a fairer digital future.”
