AI Proof Ag Jobs

Are we Gaining Knowledge or Losing Skills to Artificial Intelligence?

My dad and I jokingly chat about whose job is more AI proof.  Despite the fact that we are still in what would be considered the early days of AI adoption, you’d be hard pressed to find a job that hasn’t felt the influence of artificial intelligence.  Compared with other technical advancements in the last few hundred years from the printing press, to electricity, to personal computing, AI appears to be working its way into our lives at a much faster rate.  

If you’ve read my previous articles then you know I’ve dabbled with artificial intelligence in my own business and I’ve examined its benefits and pitfalls in several areas of agriculture.  The question I keep returning to is, are we losing valuable crafts to AI? Will we look back one-hundred years from now and wish someone still knew how to do the tasks only a computer can do?  Will we be searching for people who really understand the full scope of what goes on in an industry?

When my dad and I joke about being AI proof we do so knowing that both our industries will navigate our way forward with artificial intelligence tools. Our jobs could both change in the coming months and years, and it’s very likely that neither will disappear entirely. Our real thoughts circle around whose job will change the most and what do we each want to make sure we don’t lose in the adoption process?

Early AI Statistics 

Current data is interesting. Even in recent months information on how AI is being utilized is reshaping our perspectives on it. Instead of being afraid that a job will be lost to computers we now see an opportunity to generate greater revenue while doing less work, not necessarily with less people. Automating tasks within a job rather than removing a job role entirely doesn’t mean employees are on the chopping block but it does mean they will need new skills. 

According to World Economic Forum surveys, artificial intelligence could replace 92 million jobs, but simultaneously create 170 new jobs by 2030. A Budget Lab Yale Study says there has not been widespread disruption caused by AI in business and all dramatic shifting has occurred in niched sectors. Another New York Fed survey says only 6% of jobs in the US have been automated by 50%, underscoring the idea that heavy AI use is confined to certain types of business like the computer and math sectors where 32% of roles have been automated by 50%.

What we are seeing is a redefining of productivity and efficiency.  As I’ve asked before, where can artificial intelligence afford us a real benefit or complete a task better than humans can?  As a business owner myself, I have a responsibility to ask these questions. But my craft forces me to ask what skills I need to keep and pass on to the next generation. AI might not take my job, but it could rob the next generation of those drudgery experiences I could offload to AI that often help us make well-rounded judgements.

Are we Losing Agriculture Crafts to AI?

To speak specifically to agriculture, work isn’t just a series of mechanized tasks. An expert farmer has spent 10,000 hours fixing equipment, watching weather patterns, analyzing soil and vetting the best seed varieties for their piece of land. A good butcher understands animal anatomy, how to maximize an individual animal by butchering it a certain way and they are comfortable analyzing the quality of each cut of meat. An economist has waded through days upon days of data and spent hours in research to fine tune insights that will influence business decisions financially as well as socially. Someone in distribution has mastered the art of negotiation, understands how to navigate real time route logistics complications with real people and likely has a file of spoilage parameters etched into their subconscious. All of these people have one thing in common. Their expertise in their craft has been earned through experience.

If a butcher doesn’t really need to understand animal anatomy because AI has 4,000 photos to scan through, are we losing something? If the economist hasn’t personally read data, highlighter in hand, or rolled up her sleeves to take hold of research trajectories has she missed out on building a meaningful skill? When a lost truck driver is on the phone with transport dispatchers who have never personally created a rerouting plan that considers the truck's capabilities and factors in spoilage times, how will we define efficiency and productivity?

And yet, to put it in perspective, just 80 years ago, 60% of the jobs you’d see posted to a board didn’t exist.  Is it okay to lose the art of the craft if we can produce more by doing less?

Cost Versus Creativity When Using AI

Artificial intelligence brings some exciting benefits to the table. AI can collect and sift through data quickly, it can recognize minute patterns and it equips us to scale faster. Humans bring entirely different skills to the table. We bring intuition, social awareness, ethical judgement, and contextual consideration stemming from experience.

Experts agree that AI can boost efficiency and that efficiency is generally a cost cutting tool. However, reducing operational costs isn’t a win if overall productivity doesn’t maintain or increase.  A business call center might delegate customer communication to AI, but it doesn’t automatically mean that users feel satisfied with their assistance. The company paid fewer employees to man phonelines, but lost trust with customers who could decide to shop somewhere else the next time. 

Being AI proof might mean finding the best balance between artificial intelligence and human experience. Will the next generation of farmers and ranchers be scrappier because they know how to use AI to their benefit, and still take the time to walk through the field, ride through the herd or wrench on their own equipment? Or will the ease of AI rob them of the chance to do the repetitive tasks that contribute to experiential intuition?