By Choi Sung-jin
Which jobs will rise up and which ones will fall after five years?
That is one of the most frequently asked questions since Google's AlphaGo beat Korea's genius Lee Se-dol 4-1 in the five-match go series this month, focusing popular attention on artificial intelligence and the jobs it will eliminate.
According to Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS), 37 jobs will become popular by 2021. Among them are digital undertakers, diabetes consultants, drone pilots and private investigators, or detectives.
Also included were AI experts and Internet of Things (IoT) specialists. On the other hand, stockbrokers, currency dealers, professional photographers, and teachers at elementary and secondary schools will probably decline sharply. KEIS has conducted similar research every year since 2013, asking people about jobs that have become newly popular or are expected to do so soon.
In the high-tech area, drone pilots, AI experts and IoT specialists were cited as jobs whose numbers will rise most rapidly.
As far as drones are concerned, for instance, Korea is still in a very early stage compared with the U.S. and other industrial countries, designating areas for test flights only recently. Before long, however, many will be piloting the unmanned vehicles not for fun but for crop dusting, aerial filming, surveying and observation and military purposes, the report said.
AI experts develop algorithms and programs for artificial intelligence to make computers and robots think like humans. IoT specialists develop technology and services that put computer chips and communication devices into things and connect them with the Internet. As some mobile carriers are advertising, people will control TVs, gas valves and electric cookers away from their homes using their smartphones, which will become part of their daily routine in five years.
In the medical area, diabetes counselors and telemedicine coordinators will be popular.
Diabetes counselors provide regular diabetes-related information for patients, check patients' conditions, and offer advice on diet and exercises. There were about 2.4 million diabetics in Korea last year, spending more than 600 billion won ($500 million) a year on treatments. Worldwide, the number is expected to total 400 million and to grow to 600 million by 2035.
Jeff Dean, a senior researcher at Google who visited Korea during the go-match series, cited health care as the area to be applied by the next-generation machine learning technology. Google is reportedly planning to release a program that in a few years will be able to predict the likelihood of diabetes by looking at photos of patients' eyes.
Digital undertakers will erase the Internet accounts of dead people, and manage individual information in cyber space to prevent others from stealing such information or using it for fraud.
KEIS, in its job forecasts released last year, also expected some traditional jobs such as barbers, professional photographers, taxi drivers, paperhangers and welders, to decrease.
"Analyzing changes in the job world and preparing for it is very important not only for job-seekers but for workers as well," said a staff member at the job information provider. "For that reason, another promising job will be recommending new jobs for retiring workers and advising about jobs that best suit their clients' talents and inclinations."
Which jobs will rise up and which ones will fall after five years?
That is one of the most frequently asked questions since Google's AlphaGo beat Korea's genius Lee Se-dol 4-1 in the five-match go series this month, focusing popular attention on artificial intelligence and the jobs it will eliminate.
According to Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS), 37 jobs will become popular by 2021. Among them are digital undertakers, diabetes consultants, drone pilots and private investigators, or detectives.
Also included were AI experts and Internet of Things (IoT) specialists. On the other hand, stockbrokers, currency dealers, professional photographers, and teachers at elementary and secondary schools will probably decline sharply. KEIS has conducted similar research every year since 2013, asking people about jobs that have become newly popular or are expected to do so soon.
In the high-tech area, drone pilots, AI experts and IoT specialists were cited as jobs whose numbers will rise most rapidly.
As far as drones are concerned, for instance, Korea is still in a very early stage compared with the U.S. and other industrial countries, designating areas for test flights only recently. Before long, however, many will be piloting the unmanned vehicles not for fun but for crop dusting, aerial filming, surveying and observation and military purposes, the report said.
AI experts develop algorithms and programs for artificial intelligence to make computers and robots think like humans. IoT specialists develop technology and services that put computer chips and communication devices into things and connect them with the Internet. As some mobile carriers are advertising, people will control TVs, gas valves and electric cookers away from their homes using their smartphones, which will become part of their daily routine in five years.
In the medical area, diabetes counselors and telemedicine coordinators will be popular.
Diabetes counselors provide regular diabetes-related information for patients, check patients' conditions, and offer advice on diet and exercises. There were about 2.4 million diabetics in Korea last year, spending more than 600 billion won ($500 million) a year on treatments. Worldwide, the number is expected to total 400 million and to grow to 600 million by 2035.
Jeff Dean, a senior researcher at Google who visited Korea during the go-match series, cited health care as the area to be applied by the next-generation machine learning technology. Google is reportedly planning to release a program that in a few years will be able to predict the likelihood of diabetes by looking at photos of patients' eyes.
Digital undertakers will erase the Internet accounts of dead people, and manage individual information in cyber space to prevent others from stealing such information or using it for fraud.
KEIS, in its job forecasts released last year, also expected some traditional jobs such as barbers, professional photographers, taxi drivers, paperhangers and welders, to decrease.
"Analyzing changes in the job world and preparing for it is very important not only for job-seekers but for workers as well," said a staff member at the job information provider. "For that reason, another promising job will be recommending new jobs for retiring workers and advising about jobs that best suit their clients' talents and inclinations."
