The advancement of artificial intelligence (A.I.) is becoming increasingly mind-boggling, as discussed by Charlamagne tha God, host of “The Breakfast Club,” during Ylonda Sherrod’s daily commute in Mississippi. This particular conversation focused on an A.I.-generated sample of Biggie’s music. Charlamagne acknowledged that it sounded cool but lacked the soul, a sentiment shared by his guest WeezyWTF, who adamantly stated that A.I. could never replace human workers.
As Ylonda Sherrod drove past familiar sights like low-slung brick homes and Waffle Houses, she couldn’t help but feel unsettled by the radio discussion on A.I. Upon arriving at her workplace, an AT&T call center, she shared the radio exchange with a colleague who echoed her sentiment of disbelief. This left Sherrod questioning the potential impact of A.I. on her own job security.
The customer service representatives at AT&T’s call center in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, like many American workers, have seen A.I. rapidly integrate into their work environment over the past year. The implementation of A.I. tools means that representatives no longer have to take notes during calls; instead, they receive generated transcripts for future reference. A.I. technology also provides suggestions for customer interactions, and automated systems handle simple queries while redirecting complex ones to human representatives.
Sherrod, a vice president of the call center’s local union chapter, expressed her irritation and fear towards this new technology. She began to question AT&T managers about her job security, fearing that A.I. might replace her in the future. This fear is shared by many workers across industries who worry about the impact of A.I. on their livelihoods.
Customer service roles are often the first to be affected by automation, as they are repetitive in nature. Approximately three million jobs in America are customer service positions, making them a prime target for automation. According to a survey conducted by Cornell University, the majority of U.S. call center workers reported that their employers were automating parts of their work. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents believed that increased use of A.I. would lead to layoffs within the next two years.
While technology executives argue that automation fears have existed for centuries and have often been proven wrong, the gradual creation of new jobs doesn’t alleviate the concerns of workers like Sherrod. Many new jobs created by technology require complex skills, leaving a gap for workers in roles like customer service who may lack formal education but still provide valuable services.
For Sherrod, the customer service job at AT&T offers stability and opportunities for financial independence that were previously unattainable. Raised by her grandmother in a small Mississippi town, Sherrod experienced financial struggles in her childhood. She worked jobs like KFC and maid service at a hotel before finding the call center job, which she sees as a chance to break generational curses.
Job loss due to A.I. is a pertinent concern, as demonstrated by a recent hearing in Washington where the makers of A.I. tools discussed the risks associated with their products. The impact of A.I. on jobs is already evident, with BT Group announcing job cuts due to increased reliance on A.I. IBM’s CEO also stated that A.I. would affect clerical jobs within the company, eliminating the need for certain roles while creating new ones.
AT&T has already integrated A.I. into various aspects of its customer service work, such as routing customers to agents, offering technical suggestions during calls, and generating transcripts. The company asserts that these implementations aim to enhance the customer and worker experience, rather than replace human workers. Economists studying A.I. suggest that it will gradually eliminate the need for certain tasks, making the remaining work more complex.
For Sherrod, her job is more than just technical problem-solving; it involves connecting with customers on a personal level. She listens to their stories and feels like a therapist at times. However, with A.I., her job has become more challenging, as the technology struggles to understand human emotions and complex situations.
The impact of A.I. on jobs is a reality that workers like Sherrod cannot ignore. While the full extent of this impact is yet to be seen, concerns about job security and the future of work persist.
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