Commenting on whether AI would replace Nigerians at their jobs, Balogun, said that the technology would be brilliant for people’s productivity and for economic opportunity.
He stated that a whole set of jobs would grow, with AI becoming a partner that would help many people make the repetitive tasks of work more efficient, while sparking creativity and enabling individuals to spend more time on the bits of the job that they love and that challenge them. He said, “As technology has developed, so too has the job market. At the beginning of the last century, people mostly worked in agriculture. Now we have hedge fund managers, cabin crews aboard widely accessible commercial flights – and, as recently as 1995, web designers. So, we have had these questions for a long time and, as a society, we have navigated them well.”
The Google boss continued, “AI will become a partner to many of us, helping us not just to make the repetitive tasks of our work more efficient, but sparking creativity and enabling us to spend more time on the bits of our jobs that we love and that challenge us. We’re already working with people to help them learn how AI can help them.
“Our Grow with Google programmes has trained seven million people and helped to close the digital skills gap in Africa. Governments, NGOs, and the private sector can work together to bring similar schemes about – ensuring that everyone can benefit from AI.”All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.