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How does the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) affect the number of jobs? A research paper by the European Central Bank was dedicated to this question. The relationship between AI-based technologies (robotics, speech recognition and processing, machine translation and image recognition) and employment in 16 European countries from 2011 to 2019 was examined.
It has been shown that the share of employment in professional fields that are particularly affected by AI has increased. “AI-supported automation is therefore associated with an increase in employment in Europe – especially among highly qualified professions and younger workers”, says the research paper. However, jobs with low or medium qualifications were hardly affected.
The results contrast with previous waves of technology, when computerization led to a reduction in the relative share of employment of middle-skilled workers. Overall, however, the results show a mixed picture for the countries examined: the effects of AI-supported automation on employment were positive in most countries, with only a few exceptions. However, the extent varies considerably from country to country, according to the ECB.
“For wages, the results are less clear and suggest neutral to slightly negative consequences.” Overall, however, it is still too early to make a final judgment. The results are therefore not an acquittal.
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