The Job Hunter’s AI

Written By Dylan Rhymaun

Originally written for VTPOC.net

For those who stay up to date with the latest technologies and trends on the internet, the rise of artificial intelligence is old news. Almost everyone has seen AI generated images featuring things ranging from faked social media posts, to more alarming images of political events that never occurred. This article, though, will focus on the practical applications of the AI-revolution; how it will affect the job market, the workforce, and the BIPOC community. The most surprising part of the AI craze is that it is not the harmless generated images that will have the largest impact on our lives, it’s plain text.

Before moving on, it is important to recognize AI’s capabilities, or lack thereof, and its relationship in representing the BIPOC community. AI applications we’ve seen spring up over the last year are neural networks: a system that is modeled off the human brain to help solve complex problems, see patterns, and make predictions. It does this by using data to train itself to respond to prompts given by the user. This differs from machine learning, a strategy that has been around for years, in that machine learning does not have the capabilities to form bias, it simply learns what users want. An uncontrolled network can choose to discriminate and exclude groups in things like sorting algorithms or surveys. Moreover, under a neural network, biased responses are generated when biased data is used. This is most prevalent in image generation, something machine learning was previously unable to do, where users found that depictions of various scenarios, such as crime, promote racist stereotypes about certain groups.

Most of the controversy surrounding AI, however, is regarding the potential replacement of workers, specifically in the arts. Photographers, graphic designers, 3D artists, and even musicians and filmmakers are all soon to be at risk. As these neural networks grow and become more consumer friendly, hiring an artist to create an art piece will be thousands – potentially millions – of times more expensive than the AI-generated alternative. 

That said, it is not only the arts that are at risk. Many entry level white collar jobs can be easily replaced by text and code generation. ChatGPT, the world’s most popular AI text generator, has capabilities that defy many new user’s expectations. Copywriting, marketing write ups, email correspondence, et cetera, can be written convincingly, for free, and in a matter of seconds. Further, ChatGPT has capabilities to create and analyze spreadsheets, plus complex math is incorporated and explained in a breeze. Programming jobs, once thought to be in the highest demand, will soon meet a similar fate. While the current version of ChatGPT still has trouble writing complex, all in one scripts, it can create entire websites with HTML and CSS perfectly without the user having ever written a line of code in their life. As time goes on, accuracy will expand to successfully produce code in any language, for any application. 

This is not all bad news. The most effective users of these applications do not use them to replace their jobs, but merely to make them more efficient. Writers can get ideas, proofread, and generate outlines to streamline the writing process. Artists can quickly generate inspiration, references or filler/details for their work in a variety of mediums, allowing for more time to focus on whatever they deem important. Pertinent to VT PoC, job seekers may find significant benefit by using AI in the job applicant process. Drafts of cover letters can be generated quickly and accurately by simply copying and pasting job descriptions plus information about the applicant into a prompt. This alone can significantly decrease the time and effort it takes to submit an application, and can be especially valuable to those needing to find a job under a time constraint. 

It should be noted that applications like these will fill in any gaps with false or misleading information, so never submit anything without reviewing, correcting, and making it your own.

In addition to supporting productivity, there’s an argument that what roles AI can replace are those that should be phased out anyways. Data entry, and stock photography, two examples that can be eliminated today, are undesirable and lackluster positions in most cases. Assuming AI has the power to replace these jobs with accuracy and precision, Is it not natural that these roles are outsourced in the same way coal mining with lanterns and pickaxes were? 

To get an artist’s perspective on the threat of neural networks, VT PoC reached out to Onyekachi Ngameze, a Burlington-based artist and designer for their thoughts.

“The rise of AI has made me wonder about the future of art. Recently, we saw that the opening intro to Marvel’s Secret Invasion was made with AI. We see songs and videos made with AI using the likeness and voices of real people. On one hand, I believe that AI has allowed large corporations to further exploit the work of human artists while also denying artists from marginalized groups entry into the industry. On the other hand, I see AI simply as code. When Adobe came out with their programs, it was believed that the role of the fine artist was rendered obsolete. However, we found that this new technology was only as powerful as the user. AI could never truly beat out human artists because we are the source material for this technology.”

In the grand scheme of things, the AI revolution is still in its infancy, and time will tell whether these ethical concerns are ever addressed. That being said, it is an unstoppable force with little indication that it will be regulated any time soon. Are you willing to take advantage of it? 

For more information on this topic, see our monthly spotlight article featuring Coumba Win. 

Check out Onyekachi’s work at bymezzy.com!

Want to try using these systems yourself? Here’s a few options to choose from:

Dylan Rhymaun
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