On August 1, I was invited back on Good Morning Texas to answer the question on a lot of minds right now: what jobs are at risk of being replaced by AI?
Jane McGarry [00:00:00]:
Is AI coming for your job? A new report by the Chamber of Commerce says Dallas is among the most threatened cities in the nation when it comes to the number of potential job losses due AI. So we asked Larry Roberts with Red Hat Media to give us his best insight into what’s going on and what you can do. Good morning, for coming in. Good morning. Thanks for having me back. Yeah. So the Chamber Report says almost a half million jobs in Dallas. Why Dallas? Well, Dallas has always been a leader when it comes to tech So it’s not surprising to see that AI is coming here 1st and foremost. On another report that’s out says women
Larry Roberts [00:00:32]:
will be in the majority of those affected. Why is that? Well, I think a lot of it has to do more with the industry. If we look at the trades like plumbing and construction, most of those positions are held by men. So it’s not necessarily replacing women as much as it is replacing industries. Okay. So we asked you to come up with 5 most likely jobs to be replaced. and you started with tech jobs. Yeah. Some people think that would be the last thing. Well, they’re actually still in high demand. Don’t get me wrong there, but it’s also something that AI does extremely well. So we’re gonna see more and more as AI continues to develop that it’s gonna fill some of the gaps in that industry. What kind of tech job? Why? Programming, data analysts, anything along those lines. Okay. Number 2 on your list was customer service. And I that’s not a surprise because I think we’re already seeing so much of that, right, with that? chats and the right? 100%. It’s chatbots that we’re talking about here, and I’m sure you’ve called into customer service and already had to interact with the chat bot at some point in time, and we’re gonna continue to see more of that. By 2027, they’re saying that all companies or 25% of those companies are gonna be using chatbots for their customer service operations. Okay. Number 3 on your list was
Jane McGarry [00:01:40]:
media jobs, advertising, journalism, and, I mean, I was looking at something this week, which was talking about the controversy over journalism departments and newsrooms
Larry Roberts [00:01:52]:
using AI to write some of their stuff. Is that what you’re talking about? Well, that’s a lot of it. But if we look at it too, it’s really any kind of content creation position. I mean, if we look right now, we’ve got 2 major strikes going on with the with SAG and with the writers guild as well. Right. And AI and how they’re gonna utilize AI going forward. is at the forefront of those negotiations?
Jane McGarry [00:02:12]:
That’s really interesting. I was not aware of that. So that’s one of the that’s one of the items of dispute is anything whether it’s that either writing, anything along those lines. Okay. Number 4 was education professionals. Do you mean teachers? I do mean teachers, professors, tutors, we’re seeing teachers already use AI to generate entire lesson plans. We’re even seeing teachers using AI to grade papers.
Larry Roberts [00:02:35]:
But on the flip side, we’re seeing students turn around and do something similar to use AI to write their papers and even get to those quizzes that are being developed by their teachers with AI. confusing right now. I’d hate to be a college student trying to figure this out. Number 5 was designers, and that doesn’t really surprise me. Yeah. And graphic design, that’s really kinda lagging as far as overall is concerned. We do have some platform like mid journey and Adobe Firefly that are making tremendous strides with text to graphical image generation, but it’s still not quite there, but at the same time, this is going to introduce new competition to the graphic design market, which could in turn lead to lower ages. Okay. We also asked you to come up with 5 ways that you say you could career, proof your job or future proof your job. That’s what you called it. You started with continuous learning. What do you mean? Yeah. Well, we’ve got new technology. So we as the employees, we need to make sure that we stay abreast of all this latest tech latest tech the attending webinars, going to conferences, whatever we can do to further our education, we’re gonna find ourselves in a bet better voice. include in that?
Jane McGarry [00:03:40]:
and maybe this is your one of your other tips, but embracing the technology, learning how to use it. 100%. We’re we’re we’re gonna get there. Yeah. second. Okay. you say focus on soft skills. Do you mean interpersonal relationships? 100%
Larry Roberts [00:03:55]:
we’re getting to the relationship part as well, but communication skills at the top of the list. If there’s one thing that AI can’t do, it can’t be human. So that’s where we have to step in and make sure that we have our problem solving skills honed in that we’re aware of our emotional intelligence and where we stand. So as long as we can continue to be human and continue to provide value in that regard, AI can’t take our spot. Okay. Maybe this is the one where you get to embracing AI. Embrace technology is your 3rd tip. Sure. Right now, I’m seeing a ton of fear and a ton of resistance to AI because so many people are concerned that it’s going to take my job. But really, we need to look at it from a a place where we embrace it where we open our minds up and we learn what this AI is all about so that we can adapt to continue to bring value. Okay. Number 4 was networking? Networking. This one gets overlooked so often, and this is what you were talking about with the interpersonal skills. You know, right now, a lot of people need to get out there, start shaking hands, create personal and professional relationships. And this is going to open up doors and create more opportunities for you in the long run. Okay. And 5th, on your list, entrepreneurship,
Jane McGarry [00:04:59]:
not to be taken by the fate of heart.
Larry Roberts [00:05:02]:
Definitely not to be taken by the fate of her heart. I learned that lesson right out of the gate. But and it’s not so much that I’m saying you need to start your own business to survive this. But think about it from an entrepreneurial perspective. The leadership that an entrepreneur has to the creative decision making that an entrepreneur has to put in place. If you look at it from that perspective, it will allow you to continue to provide value regardless of what position or your industry is. Those are some great tips. Thank you so much. Really appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Appreciate
