Workflow automation is a concept that has existed since the Industrial Revolution and has only grown in scope and pace in recent years. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) software, the process of creating these automations has evolved, and the use of such automations has become frequent. In this article, we will address the impact of AI software on the job market and job seekers, focusing on digital professionals who fear for their jobs following the creation of AI software capable of performing specific tasks such as content writing or media design.
The current state of the job market
The current state of the job market in Israel is quite stable and strong. While unemployment rates in Israel reached a low of 3.1% in April 2022, a decline in the number of unemployed individuals has since been recorded. When we focus on the digital realm, the numbers are much more encouraging, indicating a resilient and stable market with a growing demand for more workers across many fields. There are concerns that automation and artificial intelligence will have a negative impact on the digital job market in Israel, but nevertheless, there is no real evidence that this has happened or will happen. Alongside experts who believe that the use of AI software in digital professions may cause people to lose their jobs in the future, there are experts who claim the exact opposite—the use of these tools will create new technologies that workers will need to learn, opening up new employment opportunities for those who master these tools. It is currently too early to say definitively what the impact of AI software will be on the job market in Israel.
How does artificial intelligence software impact the job market?
The impact of AI software on the job market is felt, especially in digital spheres. However, the impact might be different from what you thought. Contrary to popular belief that AI software and systems will cause companies to look for fewer employees and make more extensive use of software—even if someone still needs to operate and work on these programs, especially since the output of these tools in their current form requires a human review before publishing content or media generated by the software. Also in the automation field, new positions have opened up for many companies in Israel and worldwide for developers creating automation processes for businesses. In the future, it is likely that some AI tools will be able to effectively perform tasks that employees currently do, but new types of jobs will be created as a result of using these tools, because someone will need to design and oversee the automation processes in content creation for the companies using this software.
Text-generating AI software and how it impacts the job market
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence model focused on dialogue between human and machine. It is an example of an advanced chatbot that somewhat resembles the automated chat services found in certain companies’ customer support. The software was developed by OpenAI to give users the ability to create relevant content according to what they enter into the chat prompt (input). What distinguishes ChatGPT from other AI software is its development method, which enabled the bot to challenge incorrect premises, answer user questions, and admit its mistakes. While the chat is not perfect, compared to other AI software its user experience is very convenient and its performance is at a high level.
How does ChatGPT impact the job market?
If you work in marketing and advertising, content writing and copywriting is likely part of your responsibilities. This means that if you are already familiar with ChatGPT, you might realize that it can perform some of the tasks you currently do for the company you work for. In theory, companies can now use this technology to create ad copy on ad platforms, marketing emails, social media posts, and even full articles. However, it is important to remember that everything GPT writes or creates is based on what it understands from what was previously written and indexed by Google. This means it is not capable of thinking creatively or originally in the same way humans do. This means that marketers who create using the tool and take the content created “As Is”, without their personal touch, might face issues regarding the value they add over this AI software. On the other hand, most companies and businesses will still need that personal touch to take text or copy generated by ChatGPT and adapt it to the tone and character of the company they work for, making them crucially valuable employees whose job security is not in danger.
Media-generating AI software and how it impacts the job market
Midjourney
Midjourney is the most popular AI text-to-image software on the internet. Users sign up for Midjourney through the chat app, Discord, to interact with the bot that creates images for you. After logging in with Discord, you use simple commands to create images according to your needs without using code. Like other artificial intelligence software, Midjourney uses a vast amount of images to train its machine learning. When the user provides text input, the bot finds images matching the description and combines them to create a unique image.
How does Midjourney impact the job market?
In my opinion, Midjourney software has a minor impact on the job market, especially the job market in Israel. With Midjourney, you can create amazing media that can be integrated into email newsletters, on your website, or on social networks. However, this media-generating AI software and other similar software have a serious problem with text turning out scrambled and jumbled, and even after they resolve this issue, the media output from the system, while visually appealing, cannot always be used as-is. In the vast majority of times I use Midjourney, I then move on to Canva software in order to edit the media I created and integrate it into a design that gives specific meaning on my website or media. Similar to ChatGPT, the arrival of Midjourney and its kind will not negatively impact the digital job market, but rather open up additional employment opportunities for people who have learned how to work with these tools and produce the best output, just like designers who learned how 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 impacts the job market
Adobe
In recent years, Adobe has begun developing a range of AI tools for several purposes, with an emphasis on graphic design goals and objectives (Adobe’s primary area of expertise). The AI system launched by Adobe is called Adobe Firefly and features a unique set of advantages and tools, including utilities for generating and editing images and media. Using Adobe’s tools gives you options that are not always available in other AI tools, such as adding text to an image within the tool, adding effects including 3D, recoloring, and replacing backgrounds, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
How does Adobe impact the job market?
Unlike most artificial intelligence tools available today, Adobe Firefly was built based on licensed media and public domain media, making it a preferred choice for companies and organizations. In addition, Adobe tags images generated by users with Content Authenticity Initiative metadata, which allows people to know that the image was created by AI. Aside from the (justified) approach to copyright, Adobe holds a major advantage in the media and image design field because it dominates the design industry with its familiar tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.), which helped it during the launch of the Firefly tool, where users created over 70 million images in the first month.
The future of the job market for marketers and designers
With the arrival of AI software in these fields, many concerns arose among copywriters, content writers, and designers regarding their job security after software was developed that could create content and media out of thin air. There is no good way to predict what will happen in the future; my assessment, as mentioned in many points throughout this article, is that these tools will open up many opportunities in the marketing job market because using software of this kind also requires knowledge—knowledge that not everyone possesses and which can be valuable to whoever has it. The output generated by these tools is not optimal, and even in the future, with advanced versions of these programs, there is nothing that can replace a human perspective. A perspective that comes to light when editing an article or media created by AI software.
About the Author
Dvir Naaman, 27 years old, graduate of the digital marketing course at HackerU College. Experienced in building WordPress websites, paid advertising on Google, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok platforms. Intern at the Fialkov Digital agency specializing in organic search (SEO). Possesses extensive experience in eCommerce and dropshipping, and is the owner of Merchant Center – a website providing information on eCommerce systems and advanced marketing systems to increase business conversions with an emphasis on eCommerce store sales.
