by 
A
couple
weeks
ago,
I
purchased
a
new
laptop.
The
laptop
has
Microsoft
Copilot,
the
Microsoft
AI
tool
launched
in
2023.
For
kicks
I
thought
I’d
try
it
out.
I
asked
Copilot
to
provide
me
with
a
draft
on
a
topic
for
a
future
post.
Now,
I’ve
tried
ChatGPT
in
the
past,
so
I
had
an
idea
of
what
to
expect.
However,
I
was
blown
away
when
Copilot
immediately
came
back
with
a
three-page,
almost
1,000-word
draft
on
the
topic.
The
Copilot
draft
needed
work;
it
was
a
factual
statement
rather
than
an
essay,
written
in
a
voice
that
wasn’t
targeted
toward
any
particular
reader
or
audience.
Still,
it
formed
the
foundation
for
what
I
would
later
publish.
It
was
definitely
the
kind
of
quick-serve
research
on
a
topic
that
can
cut
my
writing
time
down
significantly.
Suddenly
I
saw
the
implications
of
artificial
intelligence
(AI)
in
a
new
light.
AI
is
moving
so
fast,
it’s
challenging
everything
we
think
we
know
about
how
automation
affects
work.
With
each
passing
day,
the
global
economy
is
moving
closer
to
integrating
AI
into
the
economic
fabric.
Broadly,
workers
understand
that
it
will
impact
work,
just
as
earlier
efforts
at
automation
have
impacted
work
in
the
past.
We
also
understand
that
some
places
will
be
impacted
more
than
others.
Researchers
at
the
Brookings
Institution
are
putting
some
thought
into
this,
and
their
findings
so
far
are
interesting.
Some
recent
research
conducted
by
Mark
Muro,
Shriya
Methkupally,
and
Molly
Kinder
of
the
Brookings
Institution’s
Brookings
Metro
research
center
is
finding
that
AI
will
impact
work
more
deeply
and
broadly
than
previously
considered.
Gains
in
generative
AI
are
being
made
at
a
fantastic
rate,
with
AI
compiling
and
generating
content
that
was
once
the
purview
of
humans.
Whereas
earlier
automation
efforts
targeted
routine
tasks
usually
handled
by
low-skilled,
low-wage
workers,
generative
AI
is
showing
itself
to
be
well-suited
to
take
on
work
that
relies
on
cognitive
skills
today.
For
example,
as
the
Brookings
report
says,
“think
coders,
writers,
financial
analysts,
engineers,
and
lawyers.”
The
quote
above
is
immediately
followed
by
this:
“And
while
generative
AI
puts
at
risk
the
“routine”
tasks
of
customer
service
and
clerical
work
(often
handled
by
female-staffed
call
centers,
customer
service
lines,
and
HR
teams,
for
example),
it
is
currently
not
equipped
to
handle
the
manual
work
of
manufacturing,
the
skilled
trades,
construction,
and
many
in-person
service
industries.”
In
other
words,
generative
AI
is
coming
after
knowledge
workers.
This
led
to
Brookings
Metro
taking
another
tack
on
AI’s
economic
impact
–
what
exactly
will
be
the
geography
of
generative
AI?
What
metro
areas
would
have
the
greatest
exposure
to
generative
AI,
meaning
the
possible
displacement
of
workers?
The
Brookings
Metro
researchers
reviewed
occupation-specific
“exposure”
data
supplied
by
ChatGPT
creator
OpenAI.
They
found
that
AI
exposure
increases
(positively
or
negatively)
as
wages
increase.
The
team
made
it
clear
that
“exposure”
doesn’t
necessarily
mean
“worker
displacement”.
They
allow
for
the
fact
that
some
jobs
will
be
“augmented”
by
generative
AI,
enhancing
the
productivity
and
capability
of
many
workers.
Still,
there’s
a
strong
correlation
that
as
education
levels
and
the
need
for
cognitive
skills
rises,
so
does
potential
exposure
to
generative
AI.
Read
the
rest
of
this
piece
at
The
Corner
Side
Yard.
Pete
Saunders
is
a
writer
and
researcher
whose
work
focuses
on
urbanism
and
public
policy.
Pete
has
been
the
editor/publisher
of
the
Corner
Side
Yard,
an
urbanist
blog,
since
2012.
Pete
is
also
an
urban
affairs
contributor
to
Forbes
Magazine’s
online
platform.
Pete’s
writings
have
been
published
widely
in
traditional
and
internet
media
outlets,
including
the
feature
article
in
the
December
2018
issue
of
Planning
Magazine.
Pete
has
more
than
twenty
years’
experience
in
planning,
economic
development,
and
community
development,
with
stops
in
the
public,
private
and
non-profit
sectors.
He
lives
in
Chicago.
Photo:
A
map
showing
job
exposure
to
generative
AI
across
US
counties.
Source:
Brookings.
Go to Source
Author: Pete Saunders
