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The world of work is in constant change and no development may prove more disruptive than the arrival of artificial intelligence.
A recent report by McKinsey estimates that in the next five years, between 400-800mn people around the world could find their jobs displaced by new technology such as generative AI.
As Sarah O’Connor writes in her column this week, white-collar work is most likely to be affected, especially roles currently filled by junior and entry-level colleagues.
Law firms are increasingly looking into automating lower level legal work, according to the Thomson Reuters Future of Professionals report. This could reduce a junior’s billable hours, the time spent on working on a client’s case that also provides valuable experience.
Investment banks, meanwhile, are reportedly debating whether they need to recruit so many junior analysts in future.
This invites much broader questions: what will happen if — or indeed when — white-collar, junior roles get automated? And what does that mean for how the next generation of professionals are trained?
There are several ways professional industries could react. Either they automate the majority of entry-level roles in search of short-term productivity gains or, at the other end of the spectrum, move to an apprentice-like situation where professional juniors learn from those at the very top.
In his book The Skill Code, the academic Matt Beane argues that mastery in any profession requires human connection. But he warns that “novices are becoming increasingly optional and distant participants in an expert’s daily tasks”.
So, what do you think: how will professional roles adapt? Or how should they?
Tell us your thoughts by voting in our poll or commenting below the line.
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