God bless this turmoil. The Department for Education in the UK has completed an analysis revealing that clergy members in the country are surprisingly among the professions most at risk of disruption by AI.
The recent report, titled “The impact of AI on UK jobs and training” [PDF], was published yesterday to evaluate the effects of advanced technology on different professions.
Inspired by a methodology developed by Felten et al [PDF] in the US, the study was customized for the UK context, resulting in an AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) score.
This score allows for the classification of occupations based on their vulnerability to AI advancements, determined by the skill sets required for each job, as outlined in the report.
However, the researchers advise that the evaluations of AI exposure in various occupations are subject to uncertainties, emphasizing the need for a cautious interpretation of the findings.
It is particularly interesting to observe that roles in the religious sector are significantly impacted by technology, ranking 13th in exposure to large language models (LLMs), despite spirituality being a fundamentally human phenomenon.
Notably, earlier this year, ChatGPT gained attention when it conducted a service in Germany attended by 300 church members. While some criticized the AI for its perceived lack of “heart or soul,” others were impressed by its effectiveness.
Occupations ranked higher than clergy in terms of susceptibility to AI disruption include telephone salespersons, solicitors, psychologists, further education educators, market traders, legal professionals, credit controllers, HR administrators, PR professionals, management consultants, business analysts, market research interviewers, and local government administrative roles.
Looking from a journalistic perspective, the potential replacement of roles like business analysts and PR professionals by LLMs seems plausible. However, concerns arise when considering the delegation of mental health counseling to an AI psychologist or legal responsibilities to an LLM.
Instances of lawyers in the US facing consequences for using ChatGPT to create legal documents serve as a warning, shedding light on the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI applications in specific professions.
The report emphasizes that professions at higher risk from AI mainly involve professional positions, particularly those entailing clerical duties in finance, law, and business management. Conversely, roles with lower exposure to AI include sports professionals, roofers, and steel erectors.
There is hope for individuals in highly automatable fields to transition to roles less vulnerable to AI influence, such as fork-lift truck driving, construction, and other manual labor occupations. Nonetheless, the advancing landscape of AI and robotics may eventually impact these sectors as well.
Discussing automation in the food industry, a Siemens manager stressed the importance of automating repetitive tasks while recognizing the necessity of human involvement in certain processes.
In the domain of programming and software development, the AIOE index rates these fields moderately, with systems architects and designers faring even better in terms of AI exposure.
Regarding journalists and editors, they fall in the middle range of the AI exposure ranking, indicating the changing landscape of AI across various professions.
While the report’s significance may be debated, especially concerning the clergy, it highlights the crucial need to maintain a human element in specific domains. Certain aspects of human interaction and expertise are irreplaceable, underscoring the importance of human engagement in critical areas.
