[Jjinbit] In the AI Era, It's Time to Reflect on "What Is My Job?"

An Era Where AI Utilization Becomes a Competitive Edge
"Before Job Reduction, Workplace Experience of Employees Must Be Examined"

Editor's Note[Jjinbit] is a shortened form of 'Jung Hyunjin's Business Trend' and 'Real Business Trend,' a segment that showcases trends in changes in work.

Since the beginning of this year, numerous reports related to artificial intelligence (AI) have been pouring out, making it commonplace to classify various industries and occupations and to break down what kind of work they do in detail. This is to analyze how much AI will impact these areas, and it is very unusual for so many reports on various occupations to be released simultaneously.

Global consulting firm McKinsey recently released a report that distinguishes over 2,100 detailed activities across 850 occupations and created scenarios to analyze how much generative AI can replace them. For example, in retail, employees perform tasks such as 'welcoming customers,' 'on-site cleaning and management,' 'product explanation,' and 'responding to inquiries.' The report delves into what skills are required for each task and what impact AI might have on the industry. It is a moment when it is being uncovered whether countless jobs in the world can be replaced by machines.

However, despite these reports threatening their jobs, it was office workers who first began applying AI in the field. The biggest contributors to the generative AI ChatGPT craze are actually office workers. They marveled at the convenience of AI. It writes simple emails and product descriptions for websites on their behalf. And it’s even free. Office workers who used to struggle for hours writing now only need to sign up for the service and input prompts.

According to public opinion surveys, both domestically and internationally, about 7 out of 10 people say they use ChatGPT while working. Many respondents admitted to secretly using ChatGPT without informing their supervisors. Microsoft (MS) conducted a survey of over 30,000 office workers across more than 30 countries between February and March, finding that while about half were afraid AI might replace their jobs, over 70% said they would use AI for 'as many tasks as possible' to reduce their workload. They pay no heed to the threat to their jobs.

Thanks to the interest shown by office workers worldwide regardless of field, ChatGPT gained 100 million users just two months after its launch. As of June, the monthly user count of ChatGPT was recorded at 1.9 billion, meaning one in three people worldwide uses it. Seven months have passed since the beloved ChatGPT was released. During this time, the generative AI craze has gone beyond initial novelty and begun to integrate into workplaces. AI is bringing changes to work before taking away jobs.

Before talking about job reductions in the distant future, it is time to look at the experiences of individual office workers who are already working alongside AI in the field. The era is transforming into one where office workers who can skillfully use AI as an assistant gain competitiveness. It is no longer just about reducing workload but about reflecting on the meaning of one’s work and considering where to apply AI as a tool to enhance one’s competitiveness in the mid to long term.

McKinsey emphasized, "Like other technologies, generative AI can generally take on individual tasks within jobs that are automated, but it cannot replace entire occupations," adding, "Historically, parts of many jobs have been automated over time, undergoing continuous change." AI technology is rapidly advancing and automating. It is important to remember that understanding the essence of one’s work and finding its meaning appropriate to the era is a human domain, not AI’s.