Fred Benenson, writing for The Atlantic, is concerned that AI automation will leave only the most difficult and unpleasant tasks for humans:
What’s less understood is that artificial intelligence will transform higher-skill positions, too—in ways that demand more human judgment rather than less. And that could be a problem. As AI gets better at performing the routine tasks traditionally done by humans, only the hardest ones will be left for us to do. But wrestling with only difficult decisions all day long is stressful and unpleasant. Being able to make at least some easy calls, such as allowing Santorini onto Kickstarter, can be deeply satisfying.
AI Is Coming for Your Favorite Menial Tasks
“Decision making is very cognitively draining,” the author and former clinical psychologist Alice Boyes told me via email, “so it’s nice to have some tasks that provide a sense of accomplishment but just require getting it done and repeating what you know, rather than everything needing very taxing novel decision making.”
He recognizes that many professions (e.g., lawyers!) may welcome automation of the boring stuff. But he’s particularly concerned about content moderators.
But we may find that as jobs get harder, the benefits get better.