LONDON: It is not often that someone makes a prediction that strikes you as profoundly incorrect yet also quite useful.
But so it was when Microsoft’s Mustafa Suleyman told the FT that “white-collar work, where you’re sitting down at a computer, either being a lawyer or an accountant or a project manager or a marketing person – most of those tasks will be fully automated by an AI within the next 12 to 18 months”.
It is not clear whether he meant that AI would actually have swept away all this work in 12 to 18 months, or just that it would be capable of doing so. Either way, bold predictions like these reveal an underappreciation of what other people’s jobs actually entail.
Tech leaders are particularly susceptible to this error but, to an extent, we all do it, which is why people often say in surveys that AI will probably replace a lot of jobs but not theirs.
Guess WordCrack the word, one row at a timeBuzzwordCreate words using the given lettersMini SudokuTiny puzzle, mighty brain teaserMini CrosswordSmall grid, big challengeWord SearchSpot as many words as you can Show More Show LessThe truth is that most white-collar professional roles do not just involve “sitting down at a computer”, from lawyers attending court hearings to project managers going on site visits.
Then there are the meetings (internal and external). A recent study of Norwegian workers found that meetings consumed an average of 12 per cent of work hours and 14 per cent of company wage bills.