AI rising, jobs falling: Is human creativity enough to compete?

Hammad Siddiqui, a Texas-based coder, lost his job.

He is among thousands of others who are at a career crossroads as major tech and other corporations initiate a global layoff spree.

Microsoft's decision to cut 6,000 jobs has sent shockwaves through the global economic landscape.

Siddiqui, who moved to the U.S. from Pakistan's bustling city of Karachi, is worried about future job prospects.

“Losing a job is not that big an issue for me. I mean, layoffs do happen, but I do not see any potential job openings for me in the days to come,” he said.

Tech companies are entering into a new era of business with fewer humans. So is human intelligence becoming redundant?

Creativity to stay

“I think originality and creativity cannot be replaced,” Joseph Thibault, the CEO of Cursive Technology, told Nukta.

He said these layoffs were bound to happen as generative AI has propelled the industry into an age where machines will do simple, repetitive work.

New laws will also address copyright violations, he added.

“Right now I am seeing that fresh graduates who chose software engineering as their subject are the worst hit," Thilbaut said.

Asif Alam, CEO of Compliance AI, a San Francisco-based tech firm, has a slightly different view.

“I do understand millions are being hit by this huge change but this is a transformation and not the end,” he told Nukta.

Upgrade skillset

Calling himself a huge proponent of Artificial Intelligence, he said, adapting to change is the key to moving forward.

New professionals have to understand that machines are still unable to do the most important and complex part of the work involving high-end decision making, he said.

The only survival kit for an IT professional, he said, is to upgrade their skill level and produce bold and creative ideas.

Microsoft is neither the first nor the last big tech company to announce layoffs. Back in February, Intuit reported up to a 40% boost in coding productivity thanks to its use of Generative AI coding assistants.

If companies like Intuit and Expedia are sharing the success stories of AI creating decent AI options for effective marketing, then it is obvious that human employment will get leaner in the months to come, and this pattern will continue.

Layoffs are not limited to coding and programming jobs only, as marketing and advertising are also among the new victims of the AI onslaught.

In February, Coca-Cola announced that it had produced a Christmas ad with the help of generative AI, combined with human creativity.

Meanwhile, Siddiqui is worried but not hopeless. He is busy upgrading his skillset.