AI’ing the Most Unpopular Jobs
Going through the most recent SHRM magazine, I came across this image. The most unpopular jobs. I couldn’t help but think about how AI might change that opinion for better or for worse. So, let’s do the top five!
1. Pharmacy Technician: Now, I am not a pharmacy technician so I don’t know exactly what it is that is so terrible about being one, but I can guess. First off, they are dealing with mostly sick people who already don’t feel good and when the slightest thing goes awry or the medicine costs more than they thought, well we know how that goes. Dealing with angry, sick customers is probably very challenging. I can imagine a situation where regular customers could pick up their medication every month simply by logging in to the store computer, entering in a few security questions and then their medication is plopped right in front of them. AI could also improve the insurance verification process. It could even help customers locate the best cost options before they even head into the store. My thought is the more you could limit the interaction with customers and the more you could prepare the customers ahead of time, the better off the interaction between the technician and the customer will be. Plus, this isn’t adding any more work to the technician. Win-win!
2. Restaurant Host: If you’ve looked through my transformation scenario for working with robots you’ve seen my idea around high-end restaurants that eliminate the use of technology. But for the most part I think it is safe to say most restaurants will be equipped with some sort of AI whether it is floor monitoring to help better estimate wait times or smart sign in options that allow customers to check in to reservations before they get to the restaurant. Again, the problem with being a restaurant host, and I do have experience with this one, is that angry customers are quite rude, and they take it out on the host. When you make minimum wage, dealing with that kind of behavior is not worth it. Just like the pharmacy technician role, the more you can hand over control to the customer, the better off the staff will be.
3. Hospitality front desk agent: This job, in my opinion, may be the first to be completely taken over by AI. There is absolutely no reason to have a human sitting at a front desk, even now. Again, it may end up that only the nicest offices have an actual human, and that person may be more like an executive assistant rather than a front desk agent, aka they get paid a lot more and have higher expectations. If I were a front desk agent, I’d be brushing up on my other skills right now or learning something new. Most likely we will all head straight towards the screen in the middle of the room to check in or figure out where it is we are going. The system would connect to our phones, or better yet, just be on our phones in the first place and let us know when it is time to go back or maybe help direct us through the office building to the right suite. You could even equip the system with codes that unlock doors at the appropriate time. As a consumer, I think this sounds like a dream all the way up until the system gives you the wrong information and then all hell breaks loose. So, who will be the one taking those frustrated phone calls? That job may be on the most unpopular job list in 2050.
4. Hotel housekeeper/room attendant: As wonderful as the Jetsons made it look to have a robot maid, I think we are very far from that kind of reality. How could AI make this job better? This one is tough. You could use AI to help build more efficient cleaning schedules. You could have hall monitoring systems to notify housekeepers when a room is cleared. Rooms could be equipped with chatbots that communicate directly with housekeepers. I think the name of the game for this role is efficiency. Cleaning 500 rooms every day is no easy feat, especially when you are short-staffed. The more efficient you can make the process, the better.
5. Trash Collector: I am sure everyone has a different experience, but I love our neighborhood trash company. And I loved working for a trash company. There are so many cool things some of these waste companies are doing to help clean up our planet. There are already trucks that work without the people running behind them dumping the loads in. There are already smart trash bins that sort trash and notify companies when they are full. Smart trash trucks, I am sure, are on the way in, sorting through the trash in the truck as it drives along. Bins that have a weight posted on the outside, so the collector knows what to expect. Maybe even some street sweepers that follow the truck around, cleaning up any debris that didn’t make it all the way into the truck. This is another one of those positions I could see being completely eliminated by AI. Even the truck could be a self-driving truck.
Of these positions, I would be worried about my job if I were a retail cashier, stocker, front desk agent of any kind, and trash collector. These all could easily be eliminated. But that isn’t to say these people couldn’t go do something else. Each of them would have a unique set of skills that could easily translate to customer service roles, sales roles, or project management roles just to name a few. What’s more, I think that AI and other types of technology will have a great impact on how we do work and will hopefully make our lives slightly easier. We just need to make sure we are involving all of the stakeholders in the decisions around technology instead of simply allowing the executive suite to make all of the decisions. How do you think AI and other sorts of technology may help out those that hate their jobs the most?