Is ChatGPT coming for your job? Experts say the answer is complicated

Is AI on track replace humans in a wide range of industries? Experts say the answer isn't straightforward.

With the advent of self-driving vehicles, social media algorithms, smart assistants and sophisticated chatbots, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a science fiction theme, but a permanent fixture of the global economy.

Recent journal articles have even highlighted how ChatGPT, a chatbot launched by OpenAI in November, performed "at or near" the passing threshold for the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam, and scored a B on the final exam in an operations management course at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.

"ChatGPT has shown a remarkable ability to automate some of the skills of highly compensated knowledge workers in general and specifically the knowledge workers in the jobs held by MBA graduates," University of Pennsylvania professor Christian Terwiesch wrote in the latter whitepaper.

"ChatGPT has demonstrated the capability of performing professional tasks such as writing software code and preparing legal documents."

So is AI on track replace humans in a wide range of industries?

Experts say it might not change the net number of jobs available, but it could drive humans to shift toward more specialized knowledge industry roles.

Kiljon Shukullari is a human resources advisory manager at HR consulting firm Peninsula Canada who says AI has already begun to take on tasks formerly performed by humans in a number of industries.