While a large number of people are unemployed, they are engaged in artificial intelligence, and the development has robbed hundreds of millions of people's jobs, what will happen in the future?

"Artificial intelligence (robots) have developed to the end, and they can do a lot of things instead of humans, and ordinary people don't have to go to work."

I have to say that this thing that we are most afraid of is still coming.

Just a few days ago, Wang Xingxing, CEO of Unitree Technology, predicted the future of artificial intelligence society.

The next comment on this video with the highest likes said: "Then who pays the average person? ”

One sentence expresses the anxiety of ordinary people in the era of AI.

On the one hand, the unemployment rate remains high, and on the other hand, it is vigorously developing artificial intelligence, and even artificial intelligence has moved the jobs of many workers.

In this situation, how can we protect ourselves?

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Where does the anxiety of unemployment under AI come from?

Let's take a look at a set of data: in 2023, the robot density of the mainland's manufacturing industry will reach 470 robots per 10,000 employees.

This figure has doubled from 2019, surpassing industrial powerhouses Germany and Japan, and becoming the third largest in the world.

Foxconn's Kunshan plant introduced a large number of robots to work, resulting in a sharp reduction in the number of employees in the factory from 110,000 to 50,000.

Some large-scale layoffs are happening in the manufacturing industry.

In particular, repetitive, programmed assembly line work is being replaced by automated equipment at an astonishing rate.

The installation of industrial robots reached 276,000 units, accounting for more than half of the global total, and the growth rate was significantly higher than the global average compared with previous years.

At present, the application of industrial robots has covered 71 industry categories of the national economy:

From traditional manufacturing industries such as automobiles, electronics, and photovoltaics, it extends to service fields such as agriculture, medical care, logistics, education, and elderly care.

In the transportation industry, driverless technology companies like Carrot Express are growing, and the rapid development of autonomous driving technology is threatening the existence of traditional driver jobs.

In terms of logistics, the express sorting robots of JD.com's "Asia No. 1" smart warehouse have greatly reduced the need for labor, making the employment prospects of couriers and warehouse managers uncertain.

What is even more worrying is that some professions that were originally considered relatively stable will not escape the fate of being replaced.

Not long ago, 70 AI civil servants were also launched.

Repetitive tasks such as cashiers, telephone customer service, and cleaners are also being rapidly replaced by self-service terminals and smart devices.

In Kunshan, Jiangsu province alone, 600 companies have seen a significant drop in demand for jobs after they introduced AI, a trend that is spreading across the country.

Even the demanding medical field has not been spared: AI has surpassed human doctors in the accuracy of medical image analysis, which has led to a continuous decline in demand for professional positions such as radiologists.

This trend is shaking the long-standing sense of professional security of traditional professionals.

The McKinsey Global Institute's predictions add fuel to this anxiety of unemployment: 800 million to 1 billion jobs worldwide will be replaced by automation and AI by 2030.

This figure means that about a quarter of the global workforce will be at risk of losing their jobs over the next decade.

If all these people lose their jobs by then, the consequences will be unimaginable.

If development robs people's jobs, can it still be called development?

If one day artificial intelligence replaces all humans, where is the way out for ordinary people?

Artificial "intelligence" is not "omnipotent"

In fact, the current situation is not as bad as we think, and AI does perform well in some areas, but it also has obvious limitations.

At present, AI is mainly good at data processing, pattern recognition, and repetitive tasks, but there are still obvious shortcomings in the following aspects:

For example, emotional resonance, AI cannot truly understand complex human emotions and ethical dilemmas.

Professions such as doctors, nurses, and counselors need to build trusting relationships with patients, provide emotional support, and provide personalized treatment plans.

All AI can do is help doctors diagnose conditions, and its ability to experience clinical experience and how to comfort patients is almost zero.

In addition, AI lacks original ideas and cross-domain associative capabilities, and human creativity and intuition are still irreplaceable in the fields of art creation and product design.

In addition, in some areas of special skills, the advantages of humans are more obvious.

For example, a conservator requires exquisite craftsmanship and extensive historical knowledge; A master chef requires not only precise cooking skills, but also innovation and a deep understanding of ingredients.

The work of traditional craftsmen integrates the transmission of skills and the transmission of culture, which are difficult for AI to completely replace.

Based on the above analysis, we can foresee that in the future, "human-machine collaboration" will become the most important way of working, not in the world of AI.

Under the wave of automation, how to protect yourself?

For this wave of technology, most people have seen the impact of AI, but they have not seen that it will also bring new opportunities.

It is predicted that by 2030, the mainland will need 6 million AI professionals, but the current talent gap may be as high as 4 million.

In the era of AI, some traditional industries have declined, but they have been replaced by some new professions, such as AI engineers and AI trainers.

In this way, actively focusing on emerging careers and insisting on lifelong learning is the key to taking a place in the wave.

Individuals need to work on hard skills, including data analysis, programming skills, AI fundamentals, and cloud computing technologies.

At the same time, the cultivation of soft skills should not be neglected, and critical thinking, innovation ability, communication and collaboration, and learning adaptability are all key competencies to gain a foothold in the AI era.

Research data shows that workers who are able to adapt quickly to new technologies are significantly less negatively affected by AI.

When it comes to career planning, it's important to be flexible.

Whether you are a college student or a practitioner who has already participated in the workforce, you need to objectively analyze your own strengths and consider transforming into a field that is difficult to replace by AI.

However, no matter which field you choose to develop, it is necessary to continuously improve your core competitiveness.

In the era of AI, it is no longer possible for a single skill to cope with the rapidly changing needs of the workplace. Cross-disciplinary learning and diversified development will become an important feature of personal career development.

Through continuous learning and practice, we can combine technical capabilities with humanistic qualities to find our foothold in the wave of automation.

In short, in the face of the wave of automation, maintaining an open learning mindset, cultivating diversified abilities, and doing a good job in the dynamic adjustment of career planning will be the key for individuals to cope with this challenge.

Only by actively embracing changes and actively improving ourselves can we seize the opportunity in this technological revolution and realize the improvement of personal value.

Resources

1. Wang Xingxing of Unitree Technology: The endgame of humanoid robots is very exaggerated, and ordinary people can not go to work - China Fund News, released on February 22, 2025

2. The latest research: AI "grabs jobs" More than 200,000 people in the global banking industry are about to lose their jobs - Sina Finance, released on January 9, 2025

3. Answer the employment exam question of "machine substitution" - Economic Daily, released on November 15, 2024