AI creates jobs, yet talent crisis remains, according to EY poll

Business leaders are optimistic about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on job creation, according to a poll by EY conducted at the EmTech Digital Conference, produced by MIT Technology Review Insights.

The poll of 122 business leaders found that, although AI is expected to reshape the traditional workplace, more than half (52%) of respondents believe it will have a positive impact on job creation. In fact, about a third (32%) of respondents say that, with the implementation of AI, more jobs will be created than lost, and an additional 20% anticipate that AI will create a surge in new jobs, boosting the economy.

Jeff Wong, EY Global Chief Innovation Officer, says:

“Like the poll respondents, many of the people on teams I work with don’t feel their jobs are jeopardized by AI. In fact, they demand intelligent automation that enables them to redirect their time toward more complex work that drives greater employee engagement and adds real value. We estimate that we will save approximately 2.1 million hours of our people’s time on repetitive tasks in fiscal year 2018 due to automation. Those are hours that can be repurposed and reinvested into the EY business.”