Do you think AI will finally take over all human jobs? Write a letter to the editor to express your view.
5A Xu Jia Yi Chloe

Dear Editor
I am writing to voice my opinion on the subject of artificial intelligence which has sparked an intense public debate recently. There is no doubt that the vigorous development and influence of AI will inevitably trigger off human panic. AlphaGo defeated Go world champion; driverless buses began to serve the public; some unmanned supermarkets and unmanned factories appeared and so on. A mass of work has been replaced by machines. People’s competition is getting more intense/ferocious/severe/fierce/acute. It is doubtless that many people will be vulnerable to the threat of unemployment in the future. However, I don’t think AI machines will finally take over ALL human jobs.
First, creativity is a unique talent of human beings. When the robots do not have human instructions to follow, it cannot operate. Be it writers, musicians and designers, they all need creativity, aesthetics and innovation. These qualities cannot be simplified and reduced to/written as a program. No matter how advanced technology is and how perfect AI is. AI can only act as an auxiliary tool, for example to help the artists remember and record their ideas and that’s it. Therefore, for human beings, creativity, critical thinking as well as artistic appreciation are the final line of defense that cannot be imitated and cannot be replaced.
Second, compared with AI, another characteristic of human beings that cannot be replicated by machines is sympathy and communication skills. This is one of the reasons why robots can never replace certain occupations such as clergy. Robots cannot understand human beliefs. A clergy needs to have the ability to guide and inspire others. Besides, AI cannot replace social workers, psychologists and other occupations of a similar nature because they do not understand people’s emotions. They cannot experience the ups and downs of life and truly understand others’ feelings. They can never have authentic communication with any people. No one wants to have cold machines to guide them; no one treasures love, sympathy and understanding from a computer programme. Since genuine communication is irreplaceable/inevitable and AI has no emotions, it can never take over jobs that involve the communications of emotions and feelings.
Third, robots don’t have as good social skills and negotiation skills as humans so they can’t replace jobs requiring an acquisition of these skills. For example, being a lawyer requires debate skills. It is almost impossible to develop a robot that can debate with humans. Therefore, it is an occupation that is more secure. In fact, robots can only be used in court to process data. They can never lobby judges and juries like humans, and robots can’t handle difficult customers like human officers do. Many people think that AI will replace lawyers because it can scan all the files and legal provisions into the program and remember more things than the human brain. In fact, AI can only serve as an assistant, assisting lawyers in paperwork and be responsible for recording. The role in the debate should still be left to the lawyer. Therefore, AI cannot replace lawyers and many jobs alike.
To conclude, instead of demonizing AI as the enemy which steals our work, it is more beneficial and even essential to cooperate with them. It is hoped that we can be rational in contemplating the use of emerging technologies and learn to make good use of them. By utilizing the strengths of AI and complementing its weaknesses, I believe efficiency and effectiveness at workplace can be maximized.

Yours faithfully,
Xu Jia Yi Chloe