Amid a weakening job market and widespread concerns that artificial intelligence will replace many people’s jobs, an OU professor explained that there is no need to panic.
Dr. John Hassell, Professor at OU’s Polytechnic Institute, said AI is beginning to affect some white-collar jobs, like customer service and administrative assistance roles. He says it’s something to keep in mind, but not necessarily something that should cause fear.
“I’ve seen a lot of people nervous and I try to put their fears to rest,” said Dr. Hassell.
He said white-collar jobs, where routine and repetitive tasks can often be automated, are shifting.
“Radiology students or potential radiology students have been worried about their field getting taken over by AI,” he shared. “The use of AI in radiology is just a very small part of what a radiologist does. AI has been in radiology for at least the past five years and also for the previous five years, there’s been a shortage of radiologists.”
Dr. Hassell said he believes there is a correlation that shows AI is impacting radiology jobs, but not eliminating them.
“I come from the software engineering; software development industry. Even in my own experience, it has streamlined and increased productivity for me 20-25% almost instantly, and so senior developers and people that have been software developers for some period of time are seeing a massive increase in productivity.”
While some tasks are being automated, Dr. Hassell said new opportunities are oening up for those who can adapt, reskill, and learn how to work with AI tools.
According to Goldman Sachs, jobs with a higher chance of being affected by AI include: computer programmers, accountants, administrative assistants, and customer service representatives.
