MEPX
Chapter 12 of 12All chapters
  1. 1What AI means
  2. 2How machine learning works
  3. 3Training data
  4. 4Kinds of learning
  5. 5Neural networks
  6. 6Large language models
  7. 7Limits and hallucination
  8. 8Bias and fairness
  9. 9Using AI well
  10. 10Privacy and safety
  11. 11Beyond text
  12. 12AI and work

Chapter 12 of 12

AI and work

A sober view of the change.

Tasks, not jobs

Automation lands on tasks rather than whole roles. Jobs made mostly of routine text and image work change fastest, and jobs requiring judgement, physical presence or accountability change more slowly.

  • The value moves towards deciding what to ask for and checking what came back.
  • Predictions about timelines have a very poor record in both directions.

What is worth learning

Understanding what these systems can and cannot do beats memorising any particular tool. The tools will change; the failure modes in this course have been stable for years.