As technology advances, this always results in advantages for some and disadvantages for others. In regards to jobs, robots can replace people in certain positions, especially as they become more and more developed. Those who work in trades, though, need not stress about this. The skilled trades will likely be among the last workplaces for robots to be able to take the place of a person in. Here’s why.

What The Advancement Of AI Means For The Job Market

As artificial intelligence progresses, more and more people fear their jobs being replaced by it. They fear that with artificial intelligence being made to replace certain jobs, that it will become harder to find work. This concern about job displacement leads to anxiety about rising social inequality. If it is already hard to find a job and then a robot replaces a human at it, won’t this make the inequality worse? 

In truth, artificial intelligence may be being crafted to replace some jobs, but it also creates more, in needing people to work with it. It would simply alter the job market. One area it would do that very little, though, is in trades jobs.  

Why AI Can’t Replace Skilled Trades

Currently, robots do not have the necessary capabilities for the kind of labor trades involve. A lot of trades need a lot of hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and flexibility, such as an electrician or a plumber. Robots as the majority of the public know them don’t have the required dexterity or motor controls for this kind of work. Over time, they may develop these capabilities, but one can only predict that this is likely to happen farther in the future. 

AI can’t account for the variety of situations that can arise in manual labor because they’re programmed to work with the predictable, not the unpredictable. Oftentimes, trades jobs require adaptability to the unexpected, which AI is far less capable of handling than an actual human. With trades jobs, you need to have the ability to problem solve and troubleshoot issues that you may not have come across before. Humans can do this; AI, not so much, not yet.

In addition to this, the machines and technology and tools utilized in trades will need maintenance, which robots may not be able to analyze and perform correctly. The fact of the matter is that the manner of work trades are and the skills required in order to do said work is the kind you need a human for, and that while artificial intelligence can help trades workers, it would likely be a long time before it got to the point where it could replace humans, if ever.

How AI Can Help

Rather than eliminating trades jobs, AI may actually both increase them and assist with them. Artificial intelligence need not be something to fear. It can instead be something to be excited about and to look forward to the advancements of. Think of how much technology has progressed in ways to make people’s jobs easier and ergo improve both productivity and efficiency. AI can do this for every trade.

AI can result in more jobs, not less, and increase productivity. With better technology, jobs become smoother and easier and faster to accomplish. It can help suggest the best routes and products for a job, and relieve people of labor that could be too strenuous to be safe for a person, such as lifting heavy machinery. It can also help with trades work in making it easier to conduct maintenance work by assisting workers with showing them exactly the problem area, so that they don’t need to deconstruct an entire appliance. 

Artificial intelligence is not something to fear, certainly not for a trade worker. While it can help the job and make it more efficient, AI is not at a point where it could replace a person. It’s something to be excited about, and something to be assured by. As you see, the trades will likely be among the last workplaces where AI could replace a person. 

Are You Looking For A Trades Job?

All Trades Staffing Services LLC offers a number of jobs in a variety of trades industries from construction to manufacturing to industrial to clerical trades. If you’re looking for a temporary job with the potential to turn into full time employment, contact us today! We’re happy to help you find which of our many available positions is right for you, as well as keep you busy with other jobs if you finish one. Just contact All Trades Staffing Services for more information.