South Korea is at risk of nearly four million jobs being replaced by artificial intelligence over the next two decades, especially white-collar jobs, according to a study released Thursday by the national central bank.
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Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have sparked global concerns, ranging from the potential destruction of jobs to cyberattacks and people losing control over the systems they develop.
A new study from the Bank of Korea predicts that around 3.9 million jobs in the tech-savvy Asian country will be at risk as domestic AI adoption increases, with doctors, lawyers, accountants and chemists among the most at-risk professions.
“Higher-income and academically educated professionals are more exposed to AI and have a higher risk of being replaced,” the study says.
Office jobs are most at risk because AI can easily take over analytical and cognitive tasks, she says.
Conversely, people are least likely to lose their jobs due to technological advances if they work in religion, hospitality and education, according to the study.
The Bank of Korea report highlights that while AI technologies pose a threat to existing jobs, they also create new job opportunities, including for engineers who develop and maintain AI systems and for AI startups.
However, because the new positions are “focused” on a specific area, “some employees may encounter difficulties in the career transition process due to the introduction of AI,” he adds.