AI Could Create More Than 800,000 Jobs By 2021, Study Says

There has been talk about robots taking over human jobs, which hints to people losing jobs, but a new report suggests artificial intelligence will create more than 800,000 jobs by 2021.

The report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) was released by Salesforce and is based on IDC market data and a survey of over 1,000 organizations worldwide.

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How Many Jobs Will AI Create?

Artificial intelligence will create 823,734 direct jobs by 2021, and could go up to 2 million after taking into account indirect and induced jobs, the report said. The estimated numbers also take into consideration the predicted amount of jobs that will be lost to automation from artificial intelligence.

“The forecast embodies an assumption that AI will lead to net-positive financial benefits, which will drive job growth,” the report said. “Some roles may be eliminated, and others will be created or enhanced, not unlike the change in jobs in IT departments during the advent of the cloud.”

The IDC report is different from other reports, which point to a negative impact from job automation. A 2015 McKinsey report said 45 percent of jobs could be replaced with current technology. Additionally, Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane said in 2015 that 80 million jobs in the U.S. and 15 million in the U.K. could be taken over by robots.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and billionaire Bill Gates warned about robots taking over jobs earlier this year. Gates even suggested that robots should get taxed just like humans.

AI Growth In The Next Few Years

Artificial intelligence associated with customer relationship management (CRM) will increase global business revenue by $1.1 trillion from the beginning of this year to the end of 2021, the IDC predicts.

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The survey found nearly 30 percent of all respondents saying their organizations have already adopted AI technology, while another 41 percent said they would do so within two years.

Next year will be a major year for AI adoption, IDC predicts. The report estimates 75 percent of development in enterprise and independent software vendors will include AI or machine learning features or functionalities. Meanwhile, 46 percent of AI adopters said more than 50 percent of their customer relationship management activities happen using the public cloud, which suggests cloud vendors will play a major role in delivering AI to customers.

So far, various companies have been experimenting with AI. In March, Domino’s announced it will use a fleet of autonomous robots built by Starship Technologies to deliver pizza in European cities. Amazon announced Amazon Go last December, a grocery store with no cashiers or lines. Other retailers are using self-checkout services, including CVS and Target. Companies, like Nordstrom, are using chatbot services to help consumers, while other retailers introduced smart mirrors and smart shelves.