Predictions have been made for decades that machines will one day replace humans in the workplace. But there is a growing sense that, with generative AI capable of performing cognitive-focused tasks with some degree of human competence, the next few years could actually see the first wave of job losses and layoffs due to AI.
“Some creative works might disappear, but maybe they shouldn't have existed in the first place if the content that comes out of them isn't very high quality.”
The threat of AI to the labor market
In a debate at Dartmouth College, Murati weighed in on the capabilities of the generative AI tools his company OpenAI was actively developing and the potential impact on the job market. These tools, he explained, would “lower the barrier” for anyone who wanted to be creative and could even disrupt global industries, according to a CNBC report.
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In recent years, we've seen countless projections about the potential impact AI could have on jobs. While many see them as terrifying, Murati instead framed them as an inevitability that should be welcomed. The implication was that AI-powered scriptwriting or even visualization could even lead to an increase in quality.
Murati, now co-founder and CEO of Thinking Machine Labs, a startup designed to make AI more accessible, was at the center of some of the company's biggest launches, including image and video generation tools.
One person's trash is another person's treasure.
For better or worse, AI has certainly lowered the barrier to entry for those trying to create content, and we see this with the rise of AI-generated content now circulating the web. However, when it comes to the use of AI in the creative industries, there has been a more mixed response.
According to McKinsey, AI generation is used in some areas, such as dubbing content and accelerating laborious processes. Its role in content creation has been the source of strong resistance, but it is increasingly playing a prominent role in today's best productions.
AI poses a particular risk to the creative industries, but there are hurdles to overcome before it can begin to make any kind of mark, as exemplified by the failure of the $1 billion deal between OpenAI and Disney following the closure of video generation tool Sora.
