Artificial intelligence has become massively popular over the past years. And why is this so... simply because AI is now making it possible for machines to learn from experience without human intervention. Can you believe that they’re now able to adjust to newer inputs as well as perform human-like tasks?

It has also been predicted that AI would be replacing humans in the years to come. Though the uprising is legitimate, AI will only get smarter and not replace humans. As per research and studies are done, over 40% of jobs that existed today will be replaced by AI and automation. Truth be told, most of the manufacturing jobs are already being taken over by automation. One way or the other machines will take over certain jobs that are rather taking much longer time for humans to perform. Not all jobs will be replaced. 

Are humans at war with machines? 

Speculation aside, AI is here to help us make our lives simpler and easier. 

From self-driving cars to smart personal assistants such as Siri, Google, and Cortana – are examples that heavily rely on deep learning and natural language processing. By making use of such technologies, computers can be trained to accomplish certain tasks by processing huge amounts of data and recognizing the pattern. 

But wait, prediction also says that AI is speculated to reach the human smartness by 2029. Are we really at war? 

Should we be worried?

Having said, artificial intelligence no doubt is changing the world today. A book by Kai-Fu Lee, AI Super Powers says the AI will replace repetitive jobs, jobs that machines will be able to handle. In the coming future, it will replace several white-collar jobs in the field of healthcare, marketing, law, hospitality, and accounting, etc. In his book, Lee also offers a blueprint stating how AI and humans can co-exist. A simple secret exists – AI for all is because of its intelligence. And it does not distinctly have a single quality that uniquely makes it human in any way. It does not have emotion. 

The tech professionals (AI experts and AI specialists) of tomorrow will have an edge in the age of the AI world. In practical terms, AI-enabled machine in no way can replace people. Reason being machines do not understand the context and coordinate with people based on the understanding of their context. And the best part is only humans have the ability to understand such interrelation dynamics such as attitudes, preferences, moods, politics, etc. For example, to understand a context means understanding how welding repairs can be taken up, where the workers will need to take into accounts such as the kind of weather, the type of pipe involved, etc. 

The big takeaway 

One of the best ways to get a feel of the AI world is by staying abreast with what’s going on in the industry today. This is to tell people that repetitive jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence. Sooner or later, one will have the need to reskill and upgrade their tools and technologies. 

AI is a broad field that consists of multiple disciplines, disciplines that cannot be obtained through colleges. As a matter of fact, artificial intelligence is already changing the world and if you’re not a part of the transformation, you’ll be doomed. 

Formal education Vs Certifications 

A much bigger risk we’re facing here is, colleges and universities are not being able to keep pace with the recent trends and technologies that keep evolving. Most colleges are still teaching skills that are redundant and used less frequently by big players in the tech world. Although formal education will cater ways to getting into the mainstream, it still does not assure you of future-proofing your career. 

Formal education such as a master’s degree or a Ph.D. does provide one with in-depth technical knowledge, but that’s all theory. What good will a theoretical knowledge be if it can’t be used to solve real-time problems? 

On the other hand, online certifications such as AI certifications can be effective towards taking that first plunge in the AI realm. 

The rapid growth of online certification programs has grown to such an extent that professionals can now reskill themselves with the latest technology and that too at a faster and much reasonable price. AI is expected to create 2.4 million jobs by the year 2020, having said, AI professionals such as AI experts and AI specialists will be in greater demand. And because of the newer skillset that is required by the industry, new and unconventional paths will be created providing job opportunities for the newer workforce. 

Looking beyond the future

Having cutting edge skills is the next AI frontier. As the demand for artificial intelligence continues to grow so will the need for expert professionals. As far as we’ve come, we’re still at the initial stage of the AI revolution. As technology becomes more advanced, professionals with the right skills and the hunger to thrive in the AI world will stand out in the new age of AI.