The growing debate surrounding the rapid development of ChatGPT, or artificial intelligence (AI), and its potential impact on future professions is continuously heating up. It is widely acknowledged that some professions may gradually become obsolete, while new professions emerge. 

Recently, there has been talking about a new class of people called the “useless class” – a term coined by Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari in his book “Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow” published in 2015.

Due to the rapid advancements in AI and algorithms, Harari predicts that in the twenty-first century, we might witness the creation of a new massive class: people devoid of any economic, political or even artistic value, who contribute nothing to the prosperity, power and glory of society. 

This “useless class” will not be merely unemployed – it will be unemployable.”

Yuval Noah Harari – Israeli historical researcher

Mr. Hoang Nam Tien, Vice Chairman of the FPT University Board of Directors, recently shared his personal opinion on the new “useless class” at the 2023 National Sales & Marketing Congress (VSMCamp). He believes that shortly, even well-trained programmers, marketers, beautiful bank tellers, etc will lose their jobs as AI can perform their tasks more efficiently. 

This means that the new “useless class” is not just blue-collar workers, who are replaced by robots controlled by AI in factories, but also office workers who are confident that they are educated and believe that “we do things AI cannot replace” will be replaced the fastest.

Millions of jobs could be phased out 

In his book Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, Yuval Noah Harari argues that AI will eventually surpass human intelligence in most fields. He believes that AI will be able to perform tasks that are currently considered to be the exclusive domain of humans, such as research, creativity, and art. 

Many years ago, people used to think that “Machines are not equal to humans”. The evidence suggests that Deep Blue – the machine running on the IBM supercomputer – made chess history by defeating the world’s best chess player Mr. Garry Kasparov in 1996. 

In 2022, Jason Allen won first prize in the “Digital Arts/Digitally-Manipulated Photography” art category at the Colorado State Fair with a painting created by Midjourney, an AI painting software. The painting was praised for its masterfully executed technique at a very high level.

In the elevator industry, many international elevator companies have applied automation and AI, gradually entering the fourth industrial revolution. This trend is being actively implemented in all stages of the elevator industry, from design, manufacturing, installation, and operation to maintenance and repair. 

During the manufacturing process, robot arms have appeared more and more in factories from engine manufacturing to the stages of cabin frames, cabin walls, elevator doors, etc. Even the elevator installation work has been participated by robots with high accuracy, helping to improve safety for workers, etc. 

Along with manufacturing and installation, 4.0 technology adoption is also focused on maintenance and repairing elevators through the Internet of Things (IoT), AI, Cloud and Big Data as well as robot technology.

According to the Future of Jobs 2023 Report of the World Economic Forum, by 2027, out of 673 million jobs analyzed, 83 million jobs will disappear and 44% of important skills at present will not be dominant. 

In the United States, according to data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, AI has caused nearly 4,000 people to lose their jobs in May 2023. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics also released a report on the industries most affected by AI and automation, such as manufacturing and transportation, which account for about 22% of total employment nationwide.

New types of jobs emerge 

Throughout history, any introduction of new scientific and technological achievements has led to emotions of excitement and trepidation. Ever since the Industrial Revolution erupted, people feared that mechanization might cause mass unemployment. 

And this never came true so far, because as old professions became obsolete, new professions evolved, and there was always something humans could do better than machines. Mechanization has liberated labor, allowing humans to focus on developing skills that machines could not replicate. And then a series of new industrial revolutions emerged, one after another, from electrification, automation, and now digitization. 

The way Harari sees it, this is not a law of nature and nothing guarantees it will continue to be like that in the future. The idea that humans will always have a unique ability beyond the reach of non-conscious algorithms is just wishful thinking. 

However, other studies and reports expose a brighter picture of job opportunities in the future. For example, a report by McKinsey Global & Company estimates that the adoption of AI could create 60 million to 200 million new jobs globally by 2030.

However, it is worth noting that the new jobs also require a new set of skills, most of which are not currently available in the industries’s workforce that are threatened by AI.

Will AI and algorithms produce useless humans?

According to the Future of Jobs 2023 Report, companies predict that technology adoption will remain a key driver of business transformation in the next five years. More than 75% of companies surveyed said they are planning to adopt AI, big data, and cloud computing. 

It is inevitable that many businesses are promoting the application of AI to improve their competitiveness. In 2023, AI has been integrated into the daily tools used by office workers in many businesses and will be applied more in learning, research, and work. 

Schindler robotics installation system for elevators

Formerly, it took up to 10 people to complete a specific amount of work, now with the participation of AI, only 2-3 people are needed. Viewed rigidly, one could argue that the 7-8 individuals displaced from these jobs can be called the “useless class” as described by Harari or recently mentioned in the media. 

However, perhaps the concept of “useless class” is only temporary when the question of whether or not to become useless depends on the individual worker, not the algorithms. 

Like other technological revolutions, AI is created to improve human life by working faster, more efficiently with cost-effectively. While AI can lead to the loss of many jobs and traditional occupations, it can also create new jobs requiring higher levels of skills and technical expertise.

When handing over part of their work to AI, humans have two choices: to become more specialized in complex tasks that AI has not yet been able to do or to find a new job position where workers can still do better than AI, such as babysitting. 

Canadian economist Armine Yalnizyan said to learn how to use AI if you don’t want to be replaced. 

“There is an urgent need for many people in the workforce to start taking AI seriously — if they aren’t already. Learn how to use it so it isn’t used against you,” said Armine Yalnizyan. 

Future predictions are unknown to be true or false, but it is clear that the evolution of AI or algorithms cannot make humans useless. And regardless of whether you like it or not, living with AI is a certainty. 

When it comes to the question “Who will join the ‘useless class’?”, the answer could be anyone – including you or me. 

While bots may not have the same level as humans in many aspects, if we fail to continue learning and adapting to new technologies, we run the risk of being replaced. We may not be replaced by AI, but by people who better know how to leverage AI to their advantage than us.