Will AI take over software engineer jobs? Google CEO Sundar Pichai answers

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Will AI (artificial intelligence) take over our jobs? Google CEO Sundar has an answer.

Following the public launch of AI-powered chatbots, like ChatGPT, Bing AI, and Bard, there's a looming concern about people losing jobs. Since these chatbots can write articles, review codes, and even create images based on text inputs, there's a fear that AI will take over the jobs of writers, software engineers, and creators in danger.

During a podcast with the New York Times, Pichai also shared the concerns but highlighted the positives of generative AI platforms such as Bard and ChatGPT.

When asked whether software engineers at Google should be worried about their jobs, Pichai said one must adapt to any technology. "I think this one, there'll be a lot of societal adaptation. And as part of that, we all may need to course-correct in certain areas," Pichai said during the NYT Hard Fork podcast with Casey Newton and Kevin Roose.

However, without exactly affirming these concerns, Pichai points out the bright side of generative AI tools. He adds, "I think for software engineers, there are two things that will also be true. One is some of the grunt work you're doing as part of programming is going to get better. So maybe it'll be more fun to programme over time — no different from the Google Docs, making it easier to write. And so if you're a programmer, over time, having this collaborative IDs with the assistance built in, I think, is going to make it easier."

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Pichai also believes that because of ChatGPT and Bard-like tools, programming is going to become more accessible to more people. This would allow users to create new things, which may lead to the creation of different roles.

Google is yet to roll out Bard to other countries, and right now, only limited users in select countries can test it. Bard, unlike ChatGPT by OpenAI or Bing Chat by Microsoft, had a patchy start. Google says it is improving its technology, but so far, it is in the race against its competitors.

Pichai also addressed the concerns and said Bard would improve over time. When asked whether OpenAI's progress surprises him, Pichai claims he is not surprised by their success. He said, "We had been following GPT 2 and GPT 3. We knew the calibre of the folks there, so that part wasn't a surprise at all."

The Google CEO also said that he used the LaMDA-powered Bard to plan his father's 80th birthday. Pichai suggests AI tools can spark the imagination.

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