‘People are worried': AI boss reveals what is really going to happen to everyone's jobs
The couple felt compelled to make the assurance as there's been growing concern about how the introduction of AI (artificial intelligence) will impact people's jobs in Australia.
Analysis from Australian policy organisation the Social Policy Group (SPG) found if Australia maintains its current pace of AI adoption, one third of the workforce could experience a period of unemployment by 2030.
Mr Priestley said when he tells people at parties he runs an AI business, the most common response is concern that jobs will be lost in the technology revolution, but he swears that isn't the case at all.
'It isn't about cutting jobs it is about making businesses sustainable,' he told news.com.au.
Has AI changed your job? Share your story: mary.madigan@news.com.au
Mr Priestley is used to being ahead of the curve.
The 34-year-old started with a background in engineering and was working as a firefighter when he pivoted and opened an events business, where people can hire shirtless firefighters as entertainment.
He says he has always had a knack for identifying gaps in the market, and his AI business, Click Road, was born out of his experience adapting AI into his own business.
He doesn't think Aussies should feel too threatened by AI because the tools that are available should help people do their jobs better, not make them unnecessary.
Mr Priestley said in his events business he uses AI to streamline his work, and the tool helps prevents him from having to send the same email '20 times a day'.
He uses the technology to answer simple inquiries and provide customers with answers and quotes immediately.
'Our business was on a bigger scale than some of our competitors, and some had eight (admin staff), whereas we had like two,' he said.
'On the outside, people are like 'whoa that could have been six people's jobs', but no one has the money to spend on these kinds of services, and wages are going up.'
He said the introduction of that technology hasn't led to any job cuts because he wasn't prepared to hire anyone to do such basic work in the first place.
'The thing with me is that I didn't have money to pay staff to do that so stuff. So I was just doing that as an owner-operator, and it was just me doing an extra four hours of work a day,' he said.
Mr Priestley said once he saw how much AI helped his own business, he realised other small and medium-sized businesses could benefit from consulting services to learn how to use AI and overcome their fears around the technology.
Now he consults with small businesses and helps them bring in basic automated processes for things like tracking parcels and answering general inquiries.
'It isn't about taking jobs. The businesses we work with can't afford six staff, they're not employing staff anyway,' he argued.
'It is more the workload is too big and people are doing massive days.'
Mr Priestley said he understands 'people are worried' about threats to their jobs, but that isn't what he sees developments in AI leading to.
'We've worked with hundreds of businesses now. It is just about making people's lives easier and more manageable,' he said.
Giving an example of how he would work with a building company, Mr Priestley said he might collaborate with them to develop an automatic reply system for general inquiries, so the company could focus on building houses rather than replying to emails.
The AI expert said he doesn't come into businesses and help them 'sack everyone' but the tools he adds to the workplace help people become more productive.
'People are just heaps more productive now. You're not going to lose your job if you're more productive,' he said.
Mr Priestley said the demand for his AI business has already outpaced his events space because, at the end of the day, paying for shirtless firefighters isn't an essential.
'We've just hit the sweet spot,' he said.
'What we sort of found is everyone's heard of AI and there's no business that can't benefit from it. Events are fun, but it is discretionary spending.'
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