Should Older Workers Worry About AI?

While some people fear that technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and automation will cost them their jobs, new research is pointing to a much happier relationship between technology and workers, especially older workers. These studies show that new technologies can be used to reduce physical stress, slowing the effects of physical decline that forces older workers to leave work. New technologies may also allow some workers over 50 to emphasize their strengths compared to younger workers.

These benefits, combined with flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting, will allow older workers to stay in their jobs longer, the researchers say. That's good news not only for the over-50s, who are taking their time to stop working, but for the economy as a whole, for people's ability to save more for retirement, and for federal programs like Social Security that are funded through deductions. current employee salary.

"There's a lot of upside to this," says Elizabeth Haas, founding director of the Metaverse Collaborative at New York University's School of Professional Studies. So "the first thing I want to say is don't be afraid."

Will technology take over your job?

Many Americans worry about how new technology will affect their lives. According to a July CNBC poll, 69% say they don't like AI very much or don't like it at all, up 10 percentage points from 2016. Almost one in five worry that AI will replace them at work.

However, research by the Urban Institute, an economic and social think tank, suggests that some technology could make the jobs of some older workers less physically demanding as automation performs physical tasks that still require a human operator.

Using data from the Civil Service, the study found that technology is enabling people to stay at work longer, even as they begin to suffer from the physical ailments that can come with age.

"A number of new technologies are helping people overcome their physical limitations," said Stipica Mudrasia, an assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health and a co-author of the report. "It's an absolute boon for older, middle-aged and older people who are wondering if they can still work at their jobs."

Haas points out that it's not just autonomous forklifts and transport robots that are automating repetitive or potentially dangerous tasks. It's also new technology, such as virtual reality tools, that can help workers with conditions like macular degeneration.

"What [technology] really tells me is that you can have a job for a long time," said Haas, who is also the founder of New York Consulting Partners, which helps emerging companies, and a former partner at McKinsey & Company. . . "Some of the simplest things can be done for you and easier and easier."

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