Artificial intelligence in the 21st century is not yet as advanced as in the great science fiction works of the past. Nevertheless, the colorful range of AI applications and platforms represents a unique opportunity for society and companies to fundamentally change everyday professional and private life.
In this interview, Bilal Zafar, founder of Germany’s largest online platform for job applications, richtiggutbewerben.de, explains to us which current AI developments are particularly promising, how ethical concerns can be addressed – and how AI will influence the world of work in the coming years.
Which current AI advancements or developments do you find particularly promising, and why?
What will soon accompany us in daily life and emerge all at once is AI in smartphones. We will witness AI becoming established in our smartphones without needing special or paid apps and programs. All the major manufacturers are doing it. Samsung has announced this. The Google Phone will be equipped with it. When Apple implements it, and AI is integrated into Siri, it will truly reach the masses. There’s a lot of exciting innovation happening behind the scenes at Apple, and soon, everyone—from parents to grandparents—will be able to use AI intuitively.
About Bilal Zafar
How can ethical concerns related to AI, such as bias in algorithms or data privacy, be effectively addressed?
Politics and society need to take action, and the government must establish frameworks, which is currently happening at the EU level. Ultimately, in Germany, we should be more daring and less fearful, and say, “Let’s give it a try”—similar to the Dutch approach. They often look at technological developments, assess the challenges and drawbacks, but first try them out.
That’s also my message in my presentations: Dare to try, because we are already using smartphones that are internationally connected and use data from American, Chinese, and other apps. The government needs to create regulations, and we as consumers can hopefully make good use of it.
Ethical questions are a challenge of the century. AI in the wrong hands, or its military use, are issues where we need to ask ourselves where boundaries should be set. Not everyone has an answer to this; it’s almost a philosophical debate that needs to take place.
How will AI impact the workplace over the next five to ten years?
Many repetitive tasks will disappear within the next four years. Intern or assistant roles, Excel sheets—tasks that AI would “laugh at” us for—will no longer exist. We will have more time for interesting work, but there will also be significant disruptions. Some people focus solely on criticism and turn a blind eye, which is the wrong approach. AI represents the greatest opportunity of our lifetimes, but also the biggest challenge. There will be industries and job sectors where certain professions as we know them will cease to exist, while new roles will emerge.
For example, artists once worried they would become obsolete due to photographers. But photography is simply an additional tool. Art and photography can coexist, and it will be the same with AI. When the internet arrived, there was a lot of panic, and that’s what’s happening now.
In Germany, we must also recognize that we have many engineers and a history of advancing engineering. Now, there’s software. We need to embrace this shift in engineering towards software. In the European context, we can tackle this together as a continent, so that we don’t leave the field entirely to the Americans and the Chinese. We should participate without fear and be a part of this progress.
Cover: © Bilal Zafar