Automation has been a part of work processes since the Industrial Revolution, and it has only increased in scope and pace in recent years. The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) software has further accelerated this trend, making automation more prevalent. This article explores the impact of AI software on the job market and job seekers while addressing the industry’s digital experts’ apprehension about losing their jobs and being replaced by capable AI software that performs specific tasks such as content creation or media design.
The Current State of the Job Market
Israel’s job market is relatively stable and robust. In April 2022, Israel’s unemployment rate was 3.1%, and since then, the number of unemployed individuals has decreased. When considering the digital realm worldwide, the numbers are much more encouraging, indicating a prosperous and stable market with a growing demand for more workers in various fields. There are concerns that automation and AI will negatively impact the digital job market in Israel; however, there is no substantiation to support this claim. Even though there are experts who assert that AI software utilized in digital professions may, in the future, trigger the loss of jobs, others believe that employing such software will create new technologies, which will, in turn, produce new employment opportunities. These new jobs will benefit those who become proficient in this software. It is too early to definitively assess AI software’s impact on Israel’s job market.
How AI Software Affects the Job Market
AI software’s impact on the digital job industry may differ from what one would expect. Contrary to the popular belief that companies will reduce their workforce in favor of software due to the rise of AI platforms, individuals still need to operate & oversee this software. The platform necessitates human intervention before publishing content or media generated by the software. In the automation field, more positions are available in numerous companies in Israel and worldwide for developers who create automation processes. In the future, some AI software will likely improve and be capable of performing tasks that humans currently execute professionally. Still, new jobs will emerge at that point since humans will need to design and oversee these automation tasks.
AI Software that Generates Text and How It Affects the Job Market
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is an AI model specializing in the dialogue between humans and machines. This illustrates an advanced chatbot since it resembles the automatic chat platforms in various companies’ customer services. OpenAI developed the software to allow users to create relevant content based on the content offered in the chat. What distinguishes ChatGPT from other AI software is its development method; the bot can challenge incorrect assumptions, answer users’ questions, and admit mistakes. The chat is imperfect, but compared to other AI software, it facilitates a convenient user experience and performs excellently.
How ChatGPT Affects the Job Market
If you are part of the marketing and advertising workforce, you most likely engage in content writing and copywriting. If you’ve experienced ChatGPT, you might conclude it can execute some of your current tasks. In theory, companies can now use this technology to create ad copy, marketing emails, social media posts, and even entire articles. However, it is essential to remember that everything ChatGPT writes or creates is based on what it compiles from existing text that it pulls from its database and content scanned by Google. It cannot think creatively or imaginatively in the same way humans can. The implication is that this may be problematic for marketers who rely solely on this tool and accept the content as is without adding a personal touch and value to their output. Moreover, most companies will require employees to personalize the content generated by ChatGPT to align with the company’s tone and character. Individuals possessing this skill will be valuable employees with enhanced opportunities to secure their jobs.
AI Software that Generates Media and How It Affects the Job Market
Midjourney
Midjourney is the most popular AI software for generating images via inputting text on the web. Users sign up for Midjourney through the chat application Discord to communicate with the bot that creates images for them. Once connected with Discord, users employ simple commands to create images based on their needs without writing code. Similar to other AI software, Midjourney uses a massive quantity of images to train machine learning. Users input text, and the bot finds images accordingly, combining them to form a unique image.
How Midjourney Affects the Job Market
I believe that Midjourney has a minor impact on the job market, especially in Israel. While Midjourney can create stunning media that can be incorporated into emails, newsletters, websites, or social media, AI software for generating media and similar software has a serious drawback when it generates scrambled and jumbled text. Even after this issue is resolved, and the media output from the system is visually stunning, it cannot always be incorporated as-is. Most of the time, after using Midjourney, I move on to Canva software to edit the media I created and integrate it into a design that adds specific meaning to my website or media. Like ChatGPT, the advent of Midjourney and its peers will not adversely affect the digital job market; instead, they will generate new job opportunities for individuals who have learned new skills to work with this software and produce the best content. This is analogous to designers who have learned to work with Photoshop and Illustrator and did not lose their jobs due to the advent of design software.
General AI Software and How It Affects the Job Market
Adobe
In recent years, Adobe has begun developing various AI tools for graphic design. The AI system launched by Adobe is called Adobe Firefly, and it has unique capabilities and tools, including aids for creating and editing images and media. Adobe tools provide unique features that are unavailable with other platforms, such as adding text to an image within the tool, adding effects, including 3D, recoloring, and replacing backgrounds—and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
How Adobe Affects the Job Market
Unlike many AI tools currently available, Adobe Firefly is built on licensed and public-domain media, making it a preferred choice for numerous entities. Additionally, Adobe tags images that users create with metadata from the Content Authenticity Initiative, enabling users to identify that AI created them. Aside from the (justified) approach to copyright, Adobe holds a significant advantage in media and image design due to its dominance in the design industry with its prevalent tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, and more). The esteem proved beneficial during the Firefly tool launch, as users created over 70 million images in just the first month.
The Future of the Job Market for Marketers and Designers
The emergence of AI software that can generate content and media from scratch triggered significant concerns among copywriters, content writers, and designers regarding job stability. Although we cannot predict the future, as I stated multiple times in this article, I believe this technology will create opportunities in the marketing job market. Employing such software requires human skills that must be acquired and can be valuable to individuals who gain that expertise. The software generates images and content that are often not optimal, and even in future advanced versions of this software, nothing can replace human perception, particularly when editing articles or media created by AI software.
About Me
Or Fialkov, 41 years old, married to Inbal and father of Itamar, Aviv and Melech, the the family’s dog. CEO and owner of Fialkov Digital – a company specializing in the diverse channels of internet advertising.
In 2014 the Global Facebook for Business published a first case study for a Fialkov Digital campaign and since then 6 case studies were published for Fialkov Digital clients.
Writes profesional articles, consults and guides large companies in advertising in the digital medi. Partner in the largest digital group in Israel “Digital Advertisers Professionals”.
