The fear factor may be calming down a little as workers watch artificial intelligence (AI) make its way into the workforce but hiring continues.
A resurgence in job placement among companies big and small appears to be restoring confidence among job seekers, even if many of the newest job openings are asking for people who already have some experience with AI.
Jon Schultz, the CEO and co-founder of EZ Locator says it's a healthy sign that people are learning to work with AI, and it's turning out that AI is increasing productivity of the people who work with it.
"I know with our team, any time we're doing some development work we're seeing a 40-to-50-percent improvement in productivity, and we're adding people to help us out," he says.
After years of talk about how AI has been aiming to replace humans in jobs from fast food workers to middle management, companies big and small are finding they need more people to help with emerging technologies.
And even more encouraging, there's a new point of view about AI integration that's emerging: Flexible people with skills and/or talent are being sought to train on working with AI, in a manner that recalls the "trainee" or "on the job learning" positions that used to be common in American industry.
Schultz agrees: "I think especially small companies are willing to take a chance on someone who has talent and go from there, so I don't view it as an all-or-nothing atmosphere for hiring these days."
"There really is a whole new horizon of opportunity out there not only for businesses but for people and I think people are starting to embrace it now," Schultz adds.