The Many Ways AI is Good for Workers – Inside Sources

Hard-working Americans have tremendous opportunities to thrive in today’s economy, in good part because of the expanding use of AI. Relatedly, we should probably revise our definition of what “hard work” is.

While hard work can and does apply to working intently and relentlessly at repetitive tasks, it also involves taking time to make judgments and change practices and approaches, as AI offers. Change in a job is hard, stressful but increasingly necessary. It makes workers better and more valuable while improving service to customers.

Among those thriving today are the skilled construction trades building data centers that power AI. Chris Madello of the United Association, a trade union, said at a July Capitol Hill tech conference, “I’ve heard many people talk about construction jobs very dismissively because they say they’re only temporary. Well, without a stream of construction projects and without continued growth, you can’t build a 30- or 40-year career. The data centers present that opportunity for us.”

Madello’s remarks are a powerful reminder that jobs are rooted in meeting customers’ needs. They should be a reminder, if not a wake-up call, to college students and anyone else who thinks they can settle into a job and expect long-term security without being innovative, adapting to change and new roles, and meeting customers’ varied needs.

Some continue a steady drumbeat of doom and gloom that AI will cause massive unemployment, a dirge that has gone on for four years with no evidence it’s taking hold. Meanwhile, entry-level construction workers can get paid training and apprenticeships that pay more than $100,000 annually.

A July 29 hearing by the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee heard that AI is reshaping a lot more jobs than it is replacing. Panelists stressed that it is important to view a job as a bundle of tasks. While AI is automating certain tasks, thereby reducing time spent on them, especially in entry-level positions, there is still a strong need for workers.

This has also been borne out by studies in the business community. On June 17, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation reported that “half of all workers at small businesses already use AI at work — and the vast majority are using it to get more done, not to automate themselves out of a job.” AI is widely used to produce higher-quality work, assist with planning, and take on new, more difficult assignments.

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council found that 82 percent of its small businesses are using AI, with many benefits. Council President and CEO Karen Kerrigan said, “AI is a powerful leveling technology. It is enabling small firms to scale, reach global customers, and operate with capabilities once reserved for large corporations.”

The U.S. economy has continually grown and thrived by replacing tasks and jobs that were no longer efficient with innovative ones. At the center of this change is a workforce willing to work, learn and change. Those workers are especially needed today, and the opportunities for them are abundant.