A study conducted by South Korean researchers has found that artificial intelligence (AI) may replace as many as 4 million, or 14% of South Korea’s jobs, over the next two decades.
The data showed that higher-income workers with better academic backgrounds face a more significant threat as AI could handle their analytic and cognitive work more efficiently, said a team led by Oh Sam-il at the Bank of Korea (BOK). Chemists, doctors, lawyers, accountants, and asset managers are among the most threatened, while people in religious fields, food services, teaching, and singing are the least vulnerable.
The country ranks among countries with the lowest AI utilisation despite having one of the world’s highest robot adoption rates. The BOK study reaffirms growing views that, while AI is a game changer, causing a productivity boom, it may also throw white-collar jobs worldwide into disarray.
Meanwhile, the BOK study said AI will boost demand for so-called science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — education along with softer interpersonal skills such as communication and teamwork.
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Also read: Study Reveals That 62% of Malaysians Believe That AI Will Replace Their Jobs
