News - Quoted In

AI is automating knowledge work, and the implications for the half of the U.S. workforce who are employed in such jobs are profound. It’s true that these white-collar jobs have been evolving for decades as technology has improved, but the elimination of middle-skilled jobs seems set to accelerate as AI is institutionalized in the workplace.

Artificial-intelligence software is eating the software industry, as companies turn to generative AI tools to save money on programmers. It’s a sign of what’s to come for many white-collar workers.

As of March, U.S.-based jobs on LinkedIn that mentioned GPT increased nearly 80% year over year. And, according to Crunchbase data, startups focused on AI are quickly joining The Crunchbase Unicorn Board as funding to the category speeds up.

MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi is quoted reassuring folks of a positive future with AI. It seems that for every gloomy forecast about AI in the workforce, there's a brighter outlook.

Amazon is rolling out new AI-powered technology across its warehouses to detect damaged goods in a bid to decrease the number of damaged items sent to customers and speed up the fulfillment process, The Wall Street Journal reports. Professor Yossi Sheffi is quoted. 

You've undoubtedly seen the dire predictions about how artificial intelligence will wreak havoc on the workforce. Most notably, investment bank Goldman Sachs predicts ChatGPT and similar forms of AI could trigger the loss of 300 million jobs around the world. But it seems that for every gloomy forecast about AI in the workforce, there's a brighter outlook. 

Throughout human history, people have worried about technology taking away their jobs. From the automated textile looms and “horseless carriages” of the past to the package-handling robots and driverless vehicles of today, automation has elicited fear and resentment toward job-stealing machines. This is understandable, as during the series of industrial revolutions, many jobs were diminished or replaced by machines. Yet other jobs were created over time. Professor Yossi Sheffi contributes material from his new book to help the world of airfreight look towards the future. 

Professor Yossi Sheffi, says job seekers with a tech background won’t become extinct thanks to AI, but it may mean they’ll need to prepare for a different future by leveraging their “human qualities”.

Also published in Yahoo News. 

“The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, A.I., and the Future of Work,” Yossi Sheffi, MIT CTL Media, purports to link the two title concepts. It’s a frustrating book. Yossi Sheffi is a supply chain expert and he’s at MIT. I had hopes that this would be a great book about modern supply chains and how artificial intelligence (AI) can address the challenges of the sector. Sadly, I was only half right.

Nearshoring. Automation. Supplier diversification. Sustainability. Companies are adapting their operations to changing market pressures and geopolitics.

Also Published in: MIT News