The potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for workforce productivity enhancement and improving Ireland’s competitiveness has been highly recognised by IDA Ireland in their recent report concerning the labour market. The suggestion is, together with its high likelihood to be true, that if we want to maintain the economic growth that’s largely dependent on international corporations, Irish policymakers should work on creating the right environment. This would enable companies that are considering setting up shop here or are already based here to effectively pivot to AI.
This environment necessitates a workforce that’s capable of utilising generative AI for their specific needs and objectives, rather than merely surrendering to the apprehension of being replaced by it.
However, a few rational skeptics might question the assured premise that for 60 per cent of Generation X workers – which predominantly constitutes the stable middle-aged workforce – generative AI may improve or change work, thereby allowing them time for more creative and value-added work.
The analysis by IDA Ireland is drawn from data of over two million LinkedIn members. The same data also concludes that the technology, information and media sector have the highest potential for utilising generative AI tools and technologies.
Workforces in creative industries have, contrarily, issued warnings about employers manipulating generative AI to reproduce and repackage past group effort, resulting in a reduction in human labour costs. Some concerns also arise about the malicious use of AI by unethical individuals to effectively infringe intellectual property rights.
Despite this, such pessimistic viewpoints are absent from IDA Ireland’s labour market report. This report was collaboratively published with Microsoft and LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft. Interestingly, the aforementioned software giant has also invested billions into OpenAI, the developers of ChatGPT, in a classical way of “capitalising on new business prospects”. OpenAI’s co-founder and CEO, Sam Altman, affectionately describes its association with Microsoft as “tech’s most admirable bromance”, something that has clearly influenced the strategies of IDA Ireland.
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