The Ripple Effect of AI touches Everyone
Every AI forecast is wrong because all of these forecasts implictly miss how technology transforms a society.
There’s a misconception bouncing around that AI’s impact will be limited to those who directly use or interact with it. While people might not be saying this explicitly, the misconception is implicit in the AI forecasts flooding the news. The reality is far more encompassing. AI is not just about automating tasks or improving efficiency; it, like other transformative technologies, is about fundamentally changing the way our world operates.
The most recent addition comes from JP Morgan analyst Brian Nowak, who estimates AI will impact 44% of the labor force over the next few years. While the number seems impressive on the surface, it underestimates the broader implications. Figures like these only capture the direct impact.
Consider how the automobile changed society. Vehicle ownership crossed 50% in 1948, but even before that, vehicle ownership was impacting society, influencing which towns thrived and which ones died. Vehicle ownership changed where houses were being built and the type that were being constructed. It ushered in fast food restaurants and motel franchises. In short, cars changed how society operated and these changes were felt by everyone, not just those behind the wheel.
Consider how the smartphone has impacted society more recently. Impacting everyone, not just those who carried it around in their pocket. Today those initial changes are hard to see because 85% of us have a smartphone, but long before we got to this point, smartphones were already having a transformative effect on us all.
Even if you’re not using AI-powered tools or services, or you think your job is “secure,” the secondary and tertiary effects of AI will touch every aspect of our lives. From the way goods are produced and distributed to the way we communicate and make decisions, AI’s influence will be pervasive. The ripple effect will be felt by everyone, directly and indirectly.
In a world intertwined with AI, we need to understand that the future is interconnected, and AI will be a significant thread weaving through it all.
