Adolescents graduating from high school or entering college will find a world of work in which opportunities for employment or professional practice are rapidly changing, with dangers and opportunities.

Young people are already living it. A profession that is very attractive, at least in the small sample that I have access to, is influencer. That trade has always existed, but limited to the world of famous sports or entertainment. Today it is growing exponentially.

The biggest challenge is artificial intelligence (AI). Sundar Pinchay, chairman of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, predicts that the impact of artificial intelligence will be greater than any other innovation from fire to electricity. AI can replace brain jobs like it did in the last generation with office jobs.

A generation ago, intelligent and ambitious young people turned their backs on normal high school followed by university and opted for bilingual secretarial work. Secretaries who dictated in Gregg’s shorthand, typed flawless letters on typewriters, and managed their bosses’ telephone communications, knowing which calls to go through and which not to, were in high demand. There are far fewer places for that trade today; bosses type on the computer or dictate to them, and computers transcribe and translate into any language. Women overcame this setback by breaking down the walls of gender discrimination and occupying positions previously reserved for men.

Another recently lost job is that of bank tellers. They are still there, but fewer than before because they have been replaced by ATMs, available 24 hours a day. The same applies to travel agencies. They exist for special orders.

Artificial intelligence indicates a step higher in intellectual complexity. Compete in routine professional positions that do not require creativity. The demand for lawyers, accountants and other related professions will decrease. It is not that they will be completely replaced, but that the best, most creative ones will be able to do their work instead of co-workers with the help of artificial intelligence. The law firm will not need a large number of lawyers for recapitalization or a simple sale. Nor to dig through piles of documents looking for the evidence they need, or to research how the judge ruled in similar cases. The accountant can focus on the most complex points that require a lot of judgment and leave the rest to the machine.

This threat is also an opportunity. This makes it easier for an independent professional or a small firm of a few graduate students to offer services that today’s large law firms and large auditing firms provide. In the same way as today, a journalist entrepreneur can set up a digital media.

I asked ChatGPT who in the labor market is benefiting from artificial intelligence. He answered that organizations dealing with artificial intelligence will need associates who are skilled in working with artificial intelligence, adaptable and talented in working with other people.

Because there are situations where people require a human to commit to us, not a machine, which may have a lot of intelligence but lacks heart. (OR)