{"id":104805,"date":"2023-05-31T13:57:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T17:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=104805"},"modified":"2023-06-09T13:58:24","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T17:58:24","slug":"what-is-the-fourth-industrial-revolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-the-fourth-industrial-revolution\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Fourth Industrial Revolution & Should You Worry?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the fourth industrial revolution<\/a>? How is this revolution different than the previous three?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous moves from manual labor to automation left many blue-collar workers jobless, this latest disruption threatens to displace white-collar workers for the first time. Career experts say now is the time to think about your place in this Industrial Revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a look at the AI revolution and how it may affect jobs in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Fourth Industrial Revolution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), some argue that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us<\/a>\u2014and it\u2019s markedly different from revolutions past. Previous disruptive technologies (the steam engine in the 1700s, electricity and mass production in the 1800s, and information technology and automation in the 1900s) left many blue-collar workers jobless. But this time around, the new tech threatens to displace a whole other sector: white-collar workers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Some Experts Are Worried<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some experts predict that AI will have an impact on around 300 million jobs<\/a>, and those most at risk are the ones requiring more education and higher salaries. That\u2019s because the latest versions of AI enable junior employees to supplement their knowledge and catch up to more experienced, higher-paid employees. It\u2019s estimated that globally, 250,000 workers in tech have already lost their jobs<\/a> since the beginning of 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI Could Put Freelance Writers Out of Work<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Some businesses that have hired writers on freelance marketplace platforms say that AI chatbots<\/a> produce more content than humans, <\/strong>better, faster, and for free<\/strong><\/a>. Those who believe that AI-generated content will, at the very least, satisfy easily placated audiences<\/a> will likely turn away from freelancers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI Could Kill Freelance Marketplace Platforms\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Other businesses using freelance marketplace platforms are unhappy that freelance writers are <\/strong>using AI chatbots to do some or all of their work<\/strong><\/a> and, as a result, they\u2019re displeased with marketplace platforms<\/strong>, like Fiverr. Businesses seeking authentic content are increasingly irritated that freelancers are bombarding them with project proposals nearly identical to ones generated by chatbots, and a growing number of them are asking platforms for their money back. They\u2019re also initiating transactional disputes that could hurt platforms’ bottom line and put their future in jeopardy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026and Why Others Aren\u2019t<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, some experts are more optimistic, saying that we\u2019re still a long way from mass-replacing humans with robots<\/a>. They argue that companies tend to be slow to adopt new \u201csmart\u201d equipment, preferring to stick to old but reliable machines and cheap outsourced labor. History has also shown that disruptive technologies lead to job loss in the short term but create more<\/em> jobs and fuel economic growth in the long term<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Stay Relevant When Robots (May) Rule<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re worried about your job security<\/a>, experts have a number of tips to help you future-proof your career<\/a>. The main takeaway is to stay flexible and be a lifelong learner<\/strong>. You can do this by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n