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AI Coming for Your Job? Already Happening, ChatGPT Report Says

48 percent of surveyed companies using ChatGPT say it has replaced workers.

• By David Ramel
• 02/24/2023

Recent breakthroughs in AI technology resurfaced longstanding fears about tech constructs replacing humans in various jobs. Although that prospect is still widely dismissed by experts, who routinely say AI will help humans do their jobs and even offer more job opportunities for them, a new survey-based report from careers company ResumeBuilder indicates it's already happening, presenting some startling statistics.

Those statistics come from a survey of 1,000 screened respondents whose companies use ChatGPT, the sentient-sounding chatbot from OpenAI. As everyone reading this surely already knows, it has taken the tech world by storm and even broken through as a front-of-mind phenomenon among the general population for its startling ability to create prose of all kinds in response to human prompts.

Or, as ResumeBuilder's Stacie Haller said in what might be the understatement of the year in discussing the new report: "There is a lot of excitement regarding the use of ChatGPT." This reporter knows firsthand that some CEOs equate its importance to the dawn of the internet.

One of the report's startling findings: 48 percent of companies using ChatGPT say it has replaced workers.

Furthermore, report excerpts include:

• In the future, ChatGPT may lead to more layoffs, according to business leaders. When asked if ChatGPT will lead to any workers being laid off by the end of 2023, 33 percent of business leaders say 'definitely,' while 26 percent say 'probably.'
• Within 5 years, 63 percent of business leaders say ChatGPT will 'definitely' (32 percent) or 'probably' (31 percent) lead to workers being laid off.
• For business leaders whose companies haven't started using ChatGPT but plan to, fewer think layoffs will result. Only 9 percent say the company's use of ChatGPT will 'definitely' lead to workers being laid off, while 19 percent say 'probably.'

"Since this new technology is just ramping up in the workplace, workers need to surely be thinking of how it may affect the responsibilities of their current job," Haller said. "The results of this survey shows that employers are looking to streamline some job responsibilities using ChatGPT."

Job responsibilities becoming streamlined mostly come in the software development space (mentioned by 66 percent of respondents), followed by copywriting/content creation (58 percent), customer support (57 percent), creating summaries of meetings or documents (52 percent), research (45 percent) and generating task lists (45 percent).

Indeed, in the developer ranks, another OpenAI-based offering, GitHub Copilot, has revived existential threat angst.

However, ChatGPT itself has informed us that, "As an AI, I do not have the ability to 'come for' anyone's job." You can read more about that in John K. Waters' Application Development Trends post, "My 'Conversation' with ChatGPT about What Devs Need to Know."

But while ChatGPT might steal or streamline jobs, job seekers who are experienced in using it might actually get a leg up in the application process, as 90 percent of business leaders say ChatGPT experience is a beneficial skill.

Other data points from the report include:

• 49 percent of companies currently use ChatGPT; 30 percent plan to
• 25 percent companies using ChatGPT have already saved more than $75,000

  

• 93 percent of current users say they plan to expand their use of ChatGPT

"Companies are already expecting candidates to have experience with ChatGPT," Haller said. "The use of this technology is certainly something employees and candidates will want to stay current on. Job-seekers certainly should add this skill if they have it to their resume, and employers should add it to their list of required or preferred skills if it's something they expect from candidates. As seen throughout history, as technology evolves, workers' skills need to evolve and change as well."

Using data from the same survey, ResumeBuilder earlier published a report that indicated jobs seekers highly rated ChatGPT-generated cover letters and resumes, with 75 percent of respondents who use the technology landing interviews.

Here's the methodology for the report:

All data found within this report derives from a survey commissioned by ResumeBuilder.com and conducted online by survey platform Pollfish on February 15, 2023. In total, 1,000 U.S. business leaders were surveyed.

Appropriate respondents were found through a screening question. They had to answer that their company currently uses or plans to use ChatGPT. Additionally, respondents had to meet demographic criteria, including age (25+), income (50k+), number of employees (2+), employment status, and organizational role.