Artificial Intelligence Will Boost Virtualized Network and Business Processes

As it would have been unwise to ignore the impact of computing and the Internet on the legacy telecommunications business, so too should artificial intelligence likewise be taken seriously, both as an enabler of productivity gains, but also as a development that has serious social, economic, social and political implications.

In one sense, virtualizing networks is a trend that AI could reinforce. So too, “big data” analytics will be enhanced by use of AI, allowing virtualized networks and processes to work better, and faster.

And it is hard to imagine that AI will not also lead to changes in sales and marketing practices. If AI can be used to predict usage and therefore demand, AI also can help organizations adjust demand “on the fly.”

But AI also will reduce the number of jobs required to run any telecom business, as AI is expected to reduce demand in other industries.

Graduate recruitment at auditors and accountants could fall by as much as 50 percent by 2020 due to the impact of artificial intelligence, according to Steve Varley, EY chairman and managing partner for the UK and Ireland. “Over time our graduate needs are coming down."

source: World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum estimates that AI, robotics, and automation could replace five million jobs around the world by 2020.

Citi estimated that 35 percent of jobs in the UK are at risk of being replaced by automation,

Likewise, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has estimated that 47 percent of U.S. jobs are at risk, and across the OECD as a whole an average of 57 percent of jobs are at risk. In China, the risk of automation is as high as 77 percent.

AI will help. It also will “harm,” in the area of employment. The issue is whether, on a net basis, more jobs are gained than are lost.