Nine key industries likely to be affected by AI, says academician

Robots being used at Mamak restaurants to serve customers

SHAH ALAM – Nine key industries are expected to be impacted by artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030.

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Arau Campus senior lecturer Dr Muhammad Aiman Arifin said the industries include the food, healthcare, customer service, banking, logistics, sales services, transportation, marketing, and fashion.

He said it cannot be denied that AI technology will benefit certain industries but there are three main different effects depending on the specific needs of each industry.

“The first effect is that it will render human labour unnecessary as it will be fully replaced by AI.

“Secondly, employers will likely integrate humans and robots to ensure smooth operations in related industries.

“And the third effect is the continued full utilisation of human labour,” he said when contacted, Sinar had reported that about 4.5 million

Malaysians may face job losses by 2030 if they fail to enhance their skills and undergo retraining.

Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar said the World Economic Forum 2020 has warned that AI could lead to job market disruptions as it is already being used to automate tasks in various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and customer service.

Aiman added that AI is extensively used in the food industry, particularly in mamak restaurants where robots are employed to deliver food and beverages to customers.

Therefore, he suggests that skill enhancement programmes and retraining should be empowered to reduce the gap in dependence on AI.

“We need to focus on improving skills and honing the talents of our existing workforce to meet the demands of the industry, otherwise, the forecasted 4.5 million job losses will become a reality,” he said.