AI Will Impact White-Collar More Than Lower Pay Workers

(December 4, 2019) While robotics impact mostly lower and middle pay workers, artificial intelligence (“AI”) by contrast will impact higher-wage occupations, a recent report by the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings concludes.

The report found that robotics dominates routine tasks performed by lower or middle pay workers, AI has a “distinctly white-collar bent.” To reach its conclusions, the researchers compared the text of patents to identify the capabilities of AI and then compared the capabilities to each occupation that involves the technologies. Based on those statistics, the report concluded that those with bachelor’s degrees will be much more exposed to AI than less educated groups. “White-collar, well-paid America—radiologists, legal professionals, optometrists, and many more—will likely get no free pass” when AI is implemented.

Of course, not all white-collar workers will be impacted. “[W]hile middle- and upper-middle-class workers are likely to be impacted by artificial intelligence, the most elite workers—such as CEOs—appear to be somewhat protected,” according to the report entitled “What Jobs Are Affected by AI?” written by Mark Muro, Jacob Whiton, and Robert Maxim.

AI will affect persons in analytic-technical and professional roles but will have a lesser impact on persons involved in “interpersonal” education, health care support, and personal care services,” which the report “project[s] to have low AI exposure in the coming years.” Finally, because rural areas have less tech-focused and information technology professionals, they will be less impacted than metropolitan areas such as San Jose, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Boulder.