A new generation of powerful artificial intelligence tools is set to transform the workplace, prompting urgent calls for workers to develop the way they carry out their jobs or risk being left behind.
Speaking at Dubai AI Week on Thursday, leading researchers and technologists warned that AI 2.0 - the next wave of intelligent systems – is advancing so quickly that many traditional roles could soon become obsolete if employees and educators do not act now.
“There is a need for transformation and I think we need to start from now,” said Dr Hakim Hacid, chief researcher at the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Science Research Centre at the UAE’s Technology Innovation Institute.
“Maybe we will not lose a lot of jobs right now, but there is a wave that is coming, and people should prepare themselves to do things that are more on how to use AI to increase their expertise, how to understand AI better and how to bring AI to their workplace to generate value.
“University programmes need to be reviewed and updated, depending on the needs of the industry.”
AI 2.0 refers to a new era of AI in which systems are not only able to generate human-like responses but can also write code, reason and learn autonomously.
This includes tools that can complete full software projects, diagnose illnesses and even function as personal tutors.
Technology as such is already on the rise, including OpenAI’s GPT-4, Google’s Gemini and GitHub Copilot, which can write, debug and test computer code with minimal human input.
Developers and repetitive tasks at risk
Dr Hacid said although the threat to jobs may not be immediate, developers and IT professionals could be among the first to feel the pressure.
“I think AI is definitely becoming much more powerful, and the intelligence that we have in AI will allow us to probably work in a more efficient way where we do not necessarily need the amount of people that we are using today,” he said.
“I think there will be few things that will probably disappear. The first ones that will start feeling the heat would be probably people like developers and the programmers we see today.”
He believes, however, that not all developers would be replaced. “Elite developers will still be needed ... coming up with new ideas – that’s something AI is not capable of yet,” he said.
Beyond software development, Dr Hacid said any job that involves repetitive tasks was likely to be automated, whether through software or the growing use of robotics.
“Many tasks will be automated now or maybe down the road in two years,” he said. “The expectation is just a transformation of the expertise and what people are expected to do.”
'AI doctors could already exist'
Prof Keith Ross, a computer scientist at NYU Abu Dhabi, said the shift was no longer about technology capability but about how willing society is to accept the changes.
“There was a recent study involving very complicated medical cases. General practitioners gave their diagnosis and ChatGPT did the same. ChatGPT outperformed the doctors,” he said.
“What that’s telling me is that we could have AI doctors right now. What's preventing is not a technology nor a business problem. It's more of a regulatory and society problem of allowing this kind of thing to happen.”
Schooling
For Lloyed Lobo, co-founder of fintech company Boast.AI, the more serious concern is that the current education system is not preparing children for a future shaped by advanced AI.
“This system primes us for obedience – follow the path, do what you’re told,” he said. “But now, AI is getting better at doing the exact things we were trained for.”
Mr Lobo said that when he worked in logistics in the late 2000s, he helped replace hundreds of warehouse jobs with robots.
“That was 15 years ago. Now AI can think and reason. By the time someone finishes a course [online], AI may have already mastered that job,” he said.
He is now experimenting with new education models through his children. They attend Alpha School, a physical school that integrates an AI tutor.
“The AI adapts to the student and teaches them twice as fast,” he said. "You could be in Grade 1 but learn at a Grade 5 level. It moves at the pace of the learner.”
The remainder of the school day focuses on social skills, communication and creativity - abilities Mr Lobo believes will be in high demand in a world where AI handles the execution.
The future of work: Human-AI collaboration
The panellists agreed that while certain jobs may vanish, many others will simply evolve, requiring workers to learn how to collaborate with AI rather than compete against it.
“There will be jobs but the nature of work is changing. We’re moving from a place where the employee has everything in mind to do their job, to something that’s more collaborative with AI - understanding it, guiding it and using it to generate value,” said Dr Hacid.