Image: Jordan Crallé | Marlin Chronicle
As AI works its way into workplaces, campus community members discuss its implications.
Students and faculty consider what the future holds regarding jobs and internships with artificial intelligence (AI) becoming increasingly advanced.
Assistant Professor of English Dr. Sara Ryan said that AI has become something she frequently sees used by students, and fears that it can become rather detrimental for students in the future when stepping into professional settings.
Referencing her college internship as an administrative assistant, Ryan said, “I copied documents and organized them into files and put them into files. That was my internship all summer, and AI does that now.”
She said paying humans is no longer needed for this task. “I could see many of these entry-level positions start to phase out, as AI is now taking their place. Not only that, but entry-level experience will begin to mean less because AI can do that now,” Ryan said.
The fear of AI replacing jobs and internships is growing. Company managers decide if AI works its way into a workplace. In a study by global software firm Trio.dev, 3,005 managers were asked if they would replace their employees with AI. One in five Virginia managers said yes.
For some managers, small savings are enough to make the decision. 15% said they’d replace an employee for as little as a 5% cost cut. Although, on the other end of the spectrum, half of the respondents said they’d only make the switch at a 50% saving.
As AI continues to grow and become more advanced, people raise the question of what jobs should and shouldn’t be replaced.
A national survey of 4,012 people by global software firm Trio.dev found that 92% of Virginians believe some jobs should always remain in human hands, no matter how advanced AI becomes, with doctors and surgeons being number one on the list.
“I’m trying to go into the medical field, and I think there’s definitely ways that AI with scientific aspects will try to take over in a sense, and I definitely don’t think for the medical industry that will be a good thing,” freshman Psychology major Gabby Ismerk said. She said she has observed AI gradually making its way into the field.
The study also asked Virginians which qualities AI can never replicate, to which the respondents pointed to empathy (39%), common sense (22%), and ethical judgment (17%).
Freshman Art Education major Cady Martin said AI has other limitations while affecting artists by replicating their work. She said she feels that AI teaching art is limited, “especially since I want to go into ceramics, which is something AI can’t teach people.”
With promises of efficiency, most Virginians from the study still want technology to assist, not replace, with 65% saying they’d prefer a human worker even if AI could do the job more accurately.
By: Bruce Blanchard
bcblanchard@vwu.edu
