COMPUTER SCIENCE

The AI Future: Is there such a thing as a ‘safe’ career? 🤖

In just a few decades, AI has gone from the subject of science fiction to being part of our daily lives. Generative AIs like ChatGPT now have hundreds of millions of users, and the rate at which they are progressing is startling even the experts who design them.

The fear of machines taking our jobs is nothing new. In the 1800s, the Luddites literally smashed up the machines that were replacing them, with hammers. By 1961, Time Magazine was warning that automation could ‘prevent the economy from creating enough jobs.’ In the ‘90s, many feared that the internet could also render people jobless.

But despite historical worries, the workforce was not overtaken by power looms, nor by the computer or the internet. In fact, millions of jobs were created in industries that couldn’t have been imagined before the invention of said technology. So, can AI really be that different from the past major technological advancements?

As new generations of young people are deciding their career paths, are there any jobs that are going to be safe from the AI revolution? 

The short answer? No. The long answer? Also no… probably.

💡 Things to consider

• AI vs The Computer: While specific job sectors, particularly in manual fields, have indeed been greatly affected by automation, unemployment rates have remained relatively stable (aside from during recessions and pandemics). Automation by robotics and other technologies is definitely still a worry to the job industry, but the consensus is that they can only go so far in taking human jobs. Here is where AI stands apart from past technologies. Computers can only follow steps precisely laid out for them by humans, whereas AIs can independently learn, adapt and make decisions. No computer could be capable of jobs involving creativity or complex human interaction, whereas AIs are already showing a remarkable proficiency in these areas. This makes the AI revolution fundamentally different to the advent of the computer and other technologies, meaning that theoretically, no profession is safe from its reach.

• The AGI Race: AGI stands for Artificial General Intelligence, which roughly refers to an AI which can complete any task to the standard a human can, and is the precursor to ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence). While some AI experts have claimed that AGI and ASI are impossible, the recent rapid development in AI has put them in the minority. In a 2024 study of 2,778 AI experts, they gave a 50% chance of AI outperforming humans in all tasks by 2047. As with the space race of the 20^th century, the race for AGI is an intense competition, and it has already begun, with the US and China collectively spending nearly $500 billion on AI research in the past 5 years alone. Once AGI is reached, there is no going back, and we will be competing against a non-human entity capable of equalling or exceeding humans in every conceivable task.

• The Cost Bottleneck: In Computer Science, a bottleneck is a feature of a system that limits its capacity. Just as the physical neck of a bottle slows the flow of water, there could be a key bottleneck which holds AI back from completely dominating the workforce; cost. AI is massively expensive, with specialised hardware required to run it, along with massive amounts of energy expended in its intense computational processes. This makes it highly possible that we may reach AGI, making humans theoretically redundant in employment, but that it is not financially viable to practically replace all humans with AI. However, it is worth noting the same could once have been said for computers; it is estimated that the cost of performing basic computations has fallen 1.7 trillion times since they were first invented. It is entirely plausible that new AI technology will be created at a fraction of the cost, making it feasible to replace every area of the workforce with autonomous AI agents.

🔎 Find out more

• Check out these AIs for yourself

  • https://chatgpt.com/ (Language Model)

  • https://www.bing.com/images/create (Image Generator)

  • https://www.udio.com/ (Music Generator)

• An industry professional’s worries about the dangers of AI development

• Short video from the Wall Street Journal on AI in White-Collar work

• 1961 Time Magazine Article

• MIT Paper on the History and Future of Automation

• Survey of AI Professionals

• Article on Recent AI Investment

🍒 The cherry on top

• 🥔 Potatoes: From Andean domestication to Irish famine and WWII internment camps, the humble potato has swung between comedy and catastrophe — satirised in French caricature, feared as “chthonic,” and resurrected by modern genetics. This article traces how one plant fueled empires, migration, and resistance. Great if you’re into History!

• 🪲 The Insect Apocalypse: In just 50 years, insect populations have plummeted by up to 75%. This Guardian piece by biologist Dave Goulson reveals how vanishing bugs unravel ecosystems — from starving birds to collapsing food chains — and why it matters more than you think. Great for anyone curious about Biology.

• 👑 Oligarchy: Did Trump cause oligarchic rule in the US, or just make it more obvious? This podcast digs into what it actually means to live in an oligarchy — with help from Aristotle, ancient Greek political theory, and Jeffrey Winters’ breakdown of oligarchy types. Great if you like Politics or Philosophy.

👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…

• Wednesday 24th September

  • Pembroke College Cambridge English Interview Webinar

  • Pembroke College Cambridge Maths Interview Webinar

  • Pembroke College Cambridge Physics Interview Webinar

  • University of Law Public Online Lecture

• Thursday 25th September

  • Oxford Maths Lecture

  • Pembroke College Cambridge Classics Interview Webinar

  • UEA Geography Taster Session

• Monday 29th September

  • Pembroke College Cambridge Architecture & Design Interview Webinar

  • Pembroke College Cambridge Engineering Interview Webinar

  • Pembroke College Cambridge History Interview Webinar

  • Pembroke College Cambridge Philosophy Interview Webinar

  • Pembroke College Cambridge Theology Interview Webinar

🗳️ Poll