He listed the professions that will be in high demand in the near future – these specialists will not be replaced by any technology

There’s a lot of talk right now that artificial intelligence (AI) is taking some jobs off the market and replacing some professionals. Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) associate professor dr. Justas Nugaras is convinced that this will be the case, says the press release. “Research shows that in the next 20 years alone, about half of the jobs in the US can be replaced by DI, automation. In all specialties, part of the work will disappear, although the specialty itself does not disappear, simply part of the processes that a person now performs will be assumed and executed by a computer ”, he says.

Choosing a profession now, J. Nugaras suggests thinking in which specialties the computer will not be able to change a person or choose another path and master the technologies of artificial intelligence and automation and be the one who creates new solutions.

In which areas will more specialists be needed?

VILNIUS TECH Associate Professor notes that very active “connections” (connectivity) are currently taking place, intertwining and merging different fields, professions and skills. According to him, environment and sustainability, construction, smart city, mechanics and industry, transport: these areas will need new specialists and new knowledge, specialists in smart electronics, IT and data science, aviation and space will have to join the ranks.

“A simple example is that small satellites will be very useful for the Internet of Things. If we want buildings in the environment, vehicles in a smart city, various industrial facilities and production systems, cars, drones, etc. to connect to the Internet , we will need many more specialists in electronics, informatics and data science, as well as in aviation and space satellites, ”says J. Nugaras.

According to him, robots will continue to change many areas: “We have formed the image that robots are like humans. But the drone is also a robot. Also industrial vehicle assembly systems. Robots that we cannot even imagine today will definitely be needed in construction, in a smart city, in mechanical systems and in autonomous vehicles. “

What new skills will be mandatory for future professionals?

The VILNIUS TECH associate professor mentions that the new literacy, which universities will have to develop, will be especially important when thinking about the trends that are visible now and in the future. In addition to reading and writing and computer literacy, which became especially important a few years ago, several new ones should emerge in the future in all areas.

“One of them, called ‘humanism’, is the ability to search for robots in places and areas where humans will be superior to DI. This should be taught by the universities of the future: how to reveal creativity, make sense of each person’s individual abilities and teach them to use them ”, says J. Nugaras.

Big data and its importance have been talked about for some time. In the opinion of the VILNIUS TECH associate professor, big data and working with it will push statistics to second place; Now it is no longer necessary to take a piece of data and decide on the whole, because big data opens all the data, you only need to be able to manage it.

The VILNIUS TECH associate professor also names algorithmic thinking, which is very important for the future, which allows to speak, communicate with a computer, tell it what I need. “Algorithmic thinking should definitely be taught to students in all fields. Already during the studies, all the students receive the basics of programming, but in the future we will have to think not about the technical writing of that language, but more about how to transfer our ideas with algorithms ”, emphasizes J. Nugaras. According to him, those who will be able to do so will undoubtedly be in demand in the market, especially in specialties outside of information technology.

In what areas will we no longer avoid DI?

According to the associate professor at VILNIUS TECH, there are several functions that DI can perform better than people. It is the performance of routine actions, the ability to notice regularities, predict and play / act according to the rules. “Until recently, tickets and passports were controlled by humans at the airport, and now the robot is doing it perfectly. And, probably, it performs its functions better, because it does not get tired, it does not get sick, it does not take vacations. and he doesn’t take vacations ”, points out J. Nugaras.

DI can also find patterns and predict better. The latter activity uses the English innovation “prognosis”, which includes prognostic and diagnostic activities. According to J. Nugaras, this is especially relevant for the environment and sustainability, construction, the smart city, in areas where digital twins are being installed.

“DI will definitely be able to better predict how people will behave in the future, how they will move in areas where there may be traffic jams, how the city will develop, etc. However, you will know what to do with those observed regularities and you will make decisions. Therefore, if in the future the number of analytical works for people decreases, they will have others, to translate the results of the analysis into new ideas, effective solutions ”, says the associate professor of VILNIUS TECH.

A similar situation exists with the ability of IoT to act according to the rules. “For example, in the field of environmental sustainability, DIs will be able to report when certain changes occur in the Nemunas due to the operation of the Astravas power plant or when certain advertising solutions in the field of creativity and communication do not work, DIs will be able to change your viewing strategy. DI will be able to predict people’s behavior and tailor a particular action according to established rules. But someone will have to create those rules, “says J. Nugaras.