Ever since OpenAI released the updated version of ChatGPT, everyone has one question in his/her mind: Will GPT-4 replace human jobs?  

The inception of GPT-4 has triggered massive debates regarding the future of AI and the long-term implications of this chatbot on the job market. Professionals across different sectors are concerned about losing their jobs amid rumors and buzz. And their anxieties are not out of question. 

GPT-4 has amazing capabilities. It can process 64,000 words, accept both text and visual inputs, and process the most complicated prompts. You can program computer code or write marketing content and essays with this tool. Hence, OpenAI researchers predict that AI-powered technologies similar to GPT-4 could seriously affect 19% of the jobs in the US. 

So, what’s the reality behind these claims, and how legitimate the concerns of employees are? Let’s find out in this blog. 

How Powerful GPT-4 Is? 

GPT-4 is 500 times stronger than its predecessor GPT-3.5, claims OpenAI. This advanced AI-powered chatbot has made significant improvements in terms of visual input, creativity, and text length. From producing safer and more useful responses to solving difficult problems with greater accuracy, GPT-4 can deliver impeccable results. 

With GPT-4, you can create high-quality text similar to human speech, perform technical writing tasks, or even write code. The upgraded version of ChatGPT has advanced reasoning capabilities and produces 40% more factual responses than GPT-3.5. Other key improvements include steerability, problem-solving, critical analysis capabilities, and the ability to handle over 25,000 words of text. 

The best thing about GPT-4 is that it accepts images as inputs and can generate captions by analyzing the content of images. This is a major change because GPT-3.5 could process text input only. 

Can GPT-4 Be a Human Replacement? 

Yes, it can be, says OpenAI. The AI-powered chatbot is capable of replicating human traits like empathy, speed and accuracy, research skills, and communication. 

A team of researchers at OpenAI recently found that GPT-4 will have pervasive implications on human roles. This powerful AI chatbot will affect jobs involving software-based tasks like programming and writing. However, jobs involving science and critical thinking are less exposed to GPT-4 and similar AI models. 

Based on their assessment, the researchers compiled a list of professions that are most likely to see a replacement with GPT-4 in the future. These include: 

  • Blockchain engineers 
  • Creative writers 
  • Accountants & auditors 
  • Poets and lyricists 
  • Mathematicians 
  • Public relations experts 
  • Interpreters and translators 
  • Tax consultants 
  • Journalists 

If talk in terms of sectors, GPT-4 is most likely to target publishing industries, data processing hosting, and security commodity contracts. On the other hand, industries that involve manual work such as food manufacturing and delivery, and forestry and logging will have the least impact. 

Which Roles are the Potential Targets of GPT-4 

Experts have identified three broad categories of jobs that will be replaced by GPT-4 and similar AI-powered chatbots:

1. Tech Roles

Tech jobs involving coding are the most demanded roles today. Computer programmers, coders, software engineers, and data analysts are being employed by the world’s leading organizations across diverse sectors. 

However, Anu Madgavkar, a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute, believes AI technologies will fill in some gaps associated with these tech roles and displace more of their work. Thanks to the ability of AI tools to crunch numbers, handle complex calculations, and provide logical outputs with accuracy. 

Similarly, Mark Muro, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, says GPT-4 can produce codes faster with minimal bugs or errors. This means tech companies can complete their coding projects with fewer employees by deploying advanced technologies like ChatGPT.

2. Media and Marketing

AI can read, interpret, analyze, and write long-form text with extended control of content tone. This is what companies in the media and marketing industries look for while hiring employees.  

As a result, Madgavkar believes marketers, journalists, and technical writers will be affected by GPT-4 and other AI tools. Generate AI is so much advanced and powerful that it can analyze vast amounts of language-based data. Marketing agencies can use AI tools like GPT-4 to generate premium-quality content for vast audiences quickly and efficiently. Besides, AI-driven transformation will also take the jobs of market research analysts by identifying trends within the data and making informed decisions. 

Paul Krugman, a renowned American Economist, recently wrote an op-ed in the New York Times. He said GPT-4 can more efficiently do journalistic tasks like reporting and writing as compared to humans.

3. Accounting & Finance

If you are working in the personal finance sector as a financial advisor or financial analyst, you need to worry about your job security because GPT-4 is coming to replace your role. That’s because AI can better manipulate and analyze huge amounts of numerical data with accuracy.  

According to Muro, AI technology can be used to interpret market trends to forecast a better investment mix. Besides, entrepreneurs and business leaders can check the performance of investments in a portfolio and make their decisions based on these assessments. 

GPT-4 will automate the process of interpreting financial data and providing recommendations thus replacing financial advisors and similar roles. 

Has any Company Replaced Human Roles with GPT-4? 

The process of replacing human roles with GPT-4 has already begun, with OpenAI leading the drive. The creator of GPT-4 has already started replacing its team of software engineers and programmers with AI. 

Similarly, leading names in the media industry like BuzzFeed and CNET have started generating content and writing articles with ChatGPT. Likewise, renowned organizations from the educational sector like Khan Academy and Duolingo are incorporating GPT into their products. The former is creating automated tutors powered by GPT-4 to enhance their users’ learning experience while the latter is developing conversational bots for enhanced customer service. 

Gartner predicted in its 2022 study that over 25% of companies will be using AI chatbots like GPT-4 for customer service by 2027. And it seems the process has already been initiated. 

What’s Next? 

ChatGPT is extremely powerful, there’s no denial to this truth. The updated version of GPT-4 has exhibited remarkable performance in various exams across the globe. This is the main reason why the corporate world has started questioning the possible implications of AI technology on human roles. 

Leading experts like Anu Madgavkar and Mark Muro have already predicted the potential of GPT-4 in replacing involving coding and programming and creative writing. OpenAI is considering using ChatGPT for software engineering roles while BuzzFeed and CNET are using this tool to generate high-value content. 

However, some experts have also debunked the fears of losing human jobs with recent advancements in generating AI technology. For instance, India’s largest IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) said ChatGPT cannot replace human jobs. Instead, AI-driven transformation will result more in collaboration than in replacement.  

Hence, GPT-4 and similar AI tools will empower professionals in different roles and improve their productivity.