Labor market of the future - Battle for future jobs - digital, clean and safe?
Shift for Millions of Employees: The Advance of Artificial Intelligence in Companies Changes Jobs in Germany Significantly. Surveys Show Concerns, but Also Positive Expectations. German Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) explored the changes and risks for Millions of Employees during a Summer Trip. People agreed with Heil that orientation was necessary where jobs were to be automated.
Example: Trade, Banks and Insurance: Even demanding work is affected in these sectors by the large-scale advance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, Heil stated that work in the industry would not disappear entirely. Yet, requirements for employees were changing.
Fears and Reliefs
According to a representative survey by Bitkom Research, 41% of people in Germany feel often overwhelmed by digital technologies. For 85%, digital technologies and applications make their lives easier, according to their own statements. Nearly every fourth person expresses concerns, according to a survey by the consulting firm Ernst & Young, about being replaced by machines or technologies. According to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute, up to three million jobs in Germany could be affected by a change through AI by 2030.
Robots instead of Farm Laborers
Heil was shown what AI means in business today - for example, on an orchard farm in Baden, where high-tech is responsible for shading and energy from solar modules. The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen showed what development of harvest robots involves: A yellow robot, a kind of giant beetle on metal, clumsily moved over a test field.
"How long does it take until it's no longer a prototype?" asked Heil. Max Planck Group Leader Dieter Büchler answered that it would still take some time before the robot, for example, could pick strawberries on the ground, partly covered by leaves. Today, fruits are often harvested and grown in a way that makes it easier for machines to reach them. But - so the researcher - the development is progressing rapidly. The engineers are making machines more human-like. Even picking strawberries on the ground will soon be no problem anymore. Prognoses about the magnitude of the changes are hardly possible due to the pace of development. "It can be good that we are still at the beginning of the development," said the Tübingen researcher.
Learning Computer Systems Everywhere: In hardly any field does AI remain outside, as Heil says. Almost no film and hardly any complex medical diagnosis exists without the latest technology. Chances or risks are dominating? Heil believes that opportunities for professional security and a "humanization of the working world" could increase through AI. He announced new data protection regulations for employees. The corresponding law should clearly state what is allowed and what is not - for example, absolute data protection for health and vital data.
Heil: All Employees will deal with AI.
In the future, human work will still be indispensable in certain areas. Health, education, and care were highlighted for this purpose. However, AI is making inroads here as well - "for example, to relieve caregivers from documentation duties through speech recognition systems". Heil: "We will experience that almost every job will have to deal with Artificial Intelligence in some way by 2035 - in various forms."
It is still open where all the required IT experts, programmers, and programmers will come from. Heil referred to the large proportion of young Indian women and men among those who promote AI in Germany. "There is still a lot more of us to be won over", the Labor Minister announced. Indians should be approached more targeted in the future. Already about a year ago, Heil and Economic Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) were on a charm offensive in India. This will not be the last recruiting campaign in a country where there are so many young people that they cannot all find a place on the domestic labor market.
In the sphere of social affairs, the Federal Government, led by Hubertus Heil from the SPD, is actively engaged in exploring the implications and risks of AI for millions of employees in Germany. This includes examining sectors like trade, banks, and insurance, where even demanding work is being impacted by AI.
Despite concerns about being replaced by machines or technologies, a significant number of Germans acknowledge the ease digital technologies bring into their lives. A survey by Bitkom Research reveals that 85% of people find digital technologies helpful, while another survey by Ernst & Young indicates that nearly every fourth person expresses such concerns.
During a summer trip, Minister Heil visited an orchard farm in Baden-Württemberg to understand how AI is transforming traditional industries. He was shown how high-tech is utilized for shading and energy from solar modules, and was introduced to the development of harvest robots.
Hinting at the pace of AI development, Dieter Büchler from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems stated that machines are becoming increasingly human-like, and tasks like picking strawberries on the ground will soon be manageable for them. Heil expressed hope that this development could lead to professional security and a "humanization of the working world".
While acknowledging that AI will still be indispensable in certain areas like health, education, and care, Heil also emphasized the need for individuals to adapt. He believes that almost every job will have to interact with AI in some way by 2035. To address the shortage of IT experts and programmers needed to drive this changeover, Heil proposed a targeted approach towards young Indians, who have a significant presence in promoting AI in Germany.
