(MENAFN- The Peninsula) fazeena saleem |
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology across various industries, intensely impacting the global Economy over the last decade.
While the potential advantages of AI are extensive and varied, its effects on the labor market have sparked considerable debate. Despite apprehensions about potential job losses and disruptions across various economic sectors, AI can augment human abilities, leading to heightened productivity, improved job quality, and an increased demand for human resources.
A report by the Qatar Center for Artificial Intelligence of Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) on 'Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Qatar's Labour Market' says that complete automation of existing jobs is both unlikely and undesirable. However, AI will significantly change the activities performed in most positions. While not all jobs will be fully automated, specific tasks within those jobs will be impacted by AI. This transformation will necessitate adaptation and upskilling to remain relevant in the ever-evolving job market.
The report also anticipates that AI's contribution to Qatar's GDP will reach 8.2% by 2030. This promising outlook suggests that embracing AI technology holds immense potential for Qatar, potentially leading to substantial economic benefits in the future.
It highlights that Qatar has consistently made significant investments in world-class technology infrastructure. However, what sets the country apart is its unwavering commitment to nurturing an exceptional higher education and research ecosystem.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) recognizes Qatar as a frontrunner among MENA countries in two crucial categories essential for AI-based automation. First, Qatar excels in the“Quality of MENA's education systems,” indicating its dedication to developing a skilled and knowledgeable workforce. Second, it leads to the“Ease of finding skilled employees in MENA,” underscoring its ability to attract and retain top talent.
Dr. Sanjay Chawla
Given these advantages, Qatar is strategically positioned in the MENA region to harness the potential of the AI revolution. The country's focus on education and talent development is a strong foundation for driving innovation and progress in an AI-driven landscape.
The Peninsula spoke to Dr. Sanjay Chawla, Research Director of the Data Analytics Department, at QCRI of HBKU, a member of Qatar Foundation, on the role of AI in the workplace and the future of employment in Qatar.
“It is early to say which sectors will be impacted, but a previous study in 2020 by QCRI on the Impact of AI on Qatar Labor Market has shown that white-collar jobs are likely to be impacted more than blue-collar jobs. With the rise of Generative AI, there is a surge of AI usage in diverse sectors ranging from software development to marketing and sales,” said Dr. Chawla.
He also cited newspaper reports suggesting that the most impacted jobs are likely to be“Finance and Banking”,“Media and Marketing” and“Legal Services” and the least impacted are likely to be professions including“Manufacturing”,“Agriculture” and“Healthcare.”
According to Dr. Chawla, there is already evidence that AI technology, especially Generative AI (GAI, e.g., ChatGPT) are being used as AI augmentation tools in many white-collar jobs in Qatar.
“For example, software engineers write software code using GAI; communication experts use GAI to create the first draft of their articles. And this will have an impact on hiring. Also, there may be an increased demand for highly skilled talent as the potential for more complex work becomes a reality,” said Dr. Chawla.
The growing apprehension surrounding the potential impact of AI automation on jobs is a widespread concern.
However, Dr. Chawla clarifies that the concern is rooted in a misinterpretation.“There is often a misapprehension that AI automation will lead to an immediate and significant reduction in demand. Sometimes the use of AI can lead to an increase in jobs, especially if the cost of a task reduces with the use of AI,” he said.
He gave the example of the number of accountants in the US has increased in the last decade even though many aspects of accounting can be automated. This is because the cost of accounting has come down.
However, job tasks that require collecting and summarizing information are likely to be most impacted - at least in the short term.
“With the rise of Generative AI, at least in the short-term, there will be a surge of demand in technical roles as organizations rush to develop AI capability. For example, there will be a demand to make in-house HR tools that are specialised to each organisation's specific needs. This will lead to a demand for AI engineers who can build such applications,” Dr. Chawla.
Discussing the potential benefits and challenges of AI adoption in Qatar, Dr. Chawla says that the most significant use for Qatar is that AI can substantially increase labor productivity in the non-hydrocarbon sectors in Qatar.
“For the last ten years, Qatar has been heavily investing in the construction sector, considered a low-productivity sector. The challenge in Qatar is to recruit talent that can expedite the adoption of AI in the mainstream,” he said.
He emphasized that employees will have the biggest challenge to adapt their job tasks to take advantage of AI capability. Also employees will need to have access to the right training courses to up-skill using AI will be a major challenge.
For example, somebody working in the legal profession will have to develop capability in analysis and strategic planning as a major part of their earlier work - which was data collection and summarisation, can now be assisted using AI.
Already new jobs related to Generative AI are being advertised. One example is that of a“prompt engineer” who can interact with Generative AI to direct it towards completing tasks.
“In the short term, the best way is to take online courses in AI. Individuals must assess their interests in the long term and see how AI fits the big picture,” said Dr. Chawla.
The role AI can play in enhancing productivity and competitiveness in Qatar's labor market is also an area to be taken into consideration.
“Since 2011, Qatar has invested heavily in the non-hydrocarbon sector, mostly construction, which is a low-productivity sector. As a result, Qatar's overall labor productivity has been quite low compared to other countries with comparable GDP. AI is an opportunity for Qatar to invest in and dramatically increase productivity and job satisfaction,” said Dr. Chawla.
“Qatar should identify key sectors, such as energy, finance, health and smart cities where it has a natural advantage and existing infrastructure and bootstrap the sectors with AI technology and potentially create a global niche,” he added.
For the benefit of the future, it is essential for the education curriculum in schools and higher education to reflect the prominence of AI, ensuring that the next generation of Qatari citizens and residents acquires practical knowledge and becomes comfortable working with intelligent technology.
“All major education institutions in Qatar offer data science and AI courses. Qatar Foundation is home to some of the leading AI education and research institutions recognized globally,” said Dr. Chawla.
“However, the Qatari education system will have to rapidly develop short courses where people can quickly up-skill on their use of AI. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), has a National AI Committee to coordinate AI activity in Qatar. The Ministry has a new Center of Excellence (CoE) for AI with the aim of up-skilling Qatar residents in usage of AI technology,” he added.