Illinois Takes Step Toward Defending Jobs from A.I.

Pretty much everyone has been told at some point during their career that they would (or could) be replaced by machines. This statement has been lingering for decades waiting for technology to catch up to it.

We've all met this guy

Now with A.I. advancing in its abilities at an almost daily rate, we may finally be getting close. The question I started asking last year was-

“When does artificial intelligence become official intelligence?”

An Illinois Senate Committee began the process of trying to protect college teaching jobs by crafting a preliminary bill to prohibit A.I. from teaching college students itself, while allowing A.I. to still be used by human teachers as a tool in the classroom and for curriculum.

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The threat to jobs is real. A.I. can do many things far faster than a human. In the private sector A.I. could revolutionize many areas in manufacturing, entertainment (this has already been shown and fought over), or even agriculture.

Hollywood Writers on strike in 2023 over A.I., jobs and pay.

But what of public sector jobs? Police officers, Fire fighters, teachers, city workers? If those programs can streamline the private sector, they can do the same in government, which notoriously isn’t efficient.

Are dispatchers, clerks, teachers or other government positions safe?

Being the guy that still won’t use self-checkout at stores because people are necessary, I should be for this. I also know that Illinois’ finances are monstrously upside down and this would start saving the state money quickly as A.I. doesn’t need benefits or vacation or any time off at all, much less a c.o.l.a. raise.

Isaac Asimov

Still, I land on the side of people are necessary, and that work is good for the soul. Ironically if all of our jobs get replaced by A.I. we will ultimately end up at that question that robots in Isaac Asimov stories would ask “What is my purpose?” Stay tuned.