Lifeboat Foundation

To build a workforce that can meet the expected future demand in the quantum sector, we need to train many more quantum-literate educators and marshal support for them.

In 2018 the US federal government passed the National Quantum Initiative Act, a program designed to accelerate the country’s quantum research and development activities. In the next decade, quantum information science and quantum technologies are expected to have a significant impact on the US economy, as well as on that of other countries. To fulfill that promise, the US will need a “quantum-capable” workforce that is conversant with the core aspects of quantum technologies and is large enough to meet the expected demand. But even now, as quantum-career opportunities are just starting to appear, supply falls behind demand; according to a 2022 report, there is currently only around one qualified candidate for every three quantum job openings [1]. We call for education institutions and funding agencies to invest significantly in workforce development efforts to prevent the worsening of this dearth.

Most of today’s jobs in quantum information science and technology (QIST) require detailed knowledge and skills that students typically gain in graduate-level programs [2]. As the quantum industry matures from having a research and development focus toward having a deployment focus, this requirement will likely relax. The change is expected to increase the proportion of QIST jobs compatible with undergraduate-level training. However, 86% of QIST-focused courses currently take place at PhD-granting research institutions [3]. Very few other undergraduate institutions offer opportunities to learn about the subject. To meet the future need, we believe that aspect needs to change with QIST education being incorporated into the curricula at predominantly undergraduate institutions and community colleges in the US. However, adding QIST classes to the curricula at these institutions will be no easy task.

The pandemic also helped by normalizing remote work.

A new report by Vice.

“That’s the only reason I got my job this year,” one worker referred to only as Ben said of OpenAI’s tool.

Continue reading “Remote workers can now hold down many jobs thanks to AI tools” »

Grocery shopping will lead the way in the AI (artificial intelligence) revolution.

Brits aged 15 to 64 spend about 43 percent of all their work and study time on cooking cleaning and other jobs round the home such as looking after children or elderly relatives.

In the UK, working-age men spend around half as much time as working-age women do on them.

By allowing creators to explore more directions more quickly, generative AI will help them rather than displace them.

People around the globe are so dependent on the internet to exercise socioeconomic human rights such as education, health care, work, and housing that online access must now be considered a basic human right, a new study reveals.

Particularly in developing countries, internet access can make the difference between people receiving an education, staying healthy, finding a home, and securing employment—or not.

Even if people have offline opportunities, such as accessing social security schemes or finding housing, they are at a comparative disadvantage to those with Internet access.

The last few weeks have been abuzz with news and fears (well, largely fears) about the impact chatGPT and other generative technologies might have on the workplace. Goldman Sachs predicted 300 million jobs would be lost, while the likes of Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk asked for AI development to be paused (although pointedly not the development of autonomous driving).

Indeed, OpenAI chief Sam Altman recently declared that he was “a little bit scared”, with the sentiment shared by OpenAI’s chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who recently said that “at some point it will be quite easy, if one wanted, to cause a great deal of harm”.

As fears mount about the jobs supposedly at risk from generative AI technologies like chatGPT, are these fears likely to prevent people from taking steps to adapt?

Continue reading “Doomsday Predictions Around ChatGPT Are Counter-Productive” »

A new career is emerging with the spread of generative AI applications like ChatGPT: prompt engineering, the art (not science) of crafting effective instructions for AI models.

“In ten years, half of the world’s jobs will be in prompt engineering,” declared Robin Li, cofounder and CEO of Chinese AI giant, Baidu. “And those who cannot write prompts will be obsolete.”

That may be a bit of big tech hyperbole, but there’s no doubt that prompt engineers will become the wizards of the AI world, coaxing and guiding AI models into generating content that is not only relevant but also coherent and consistent with the desired output.

AI-related jobs are on the rise but funding has taken a dip.

The technology world goes through waves of terminologies. Last year, was much about building the metaverse until it turned to artificial intelligence (AI) which has occupied the top news spots almost everywhere. To know whether this wave will last or wither off, one needs to look at some trusted sources in the domain, such as the one released by Stanford University.

For years now, the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence at Stanford has been releasing its AI Index on an annual basis.

Continue reading “New Stanford report highlights the potential, costs, and risks of AI” »

Is artificial intelligence on the path to replacing people and jobs? Not quite. GSB professors argue that instead of viewing #AI as a competitor, we should be embracing it as a collaborator.

“The idea that AI is aimed toward automation is a misconception. There’s so much more opportunity for this technology to augment humans than the very narrow notion of replacing humans.” Professor Fei-Fei Li, co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.
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