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Could AI displace Pensacola jobs? Study says 9.7% of workers are at risk

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4 months ago

June 25, 2024

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Could AI displace Pensacola jobs? Study says 9.7% of workers are at risk

A new nationwide study shows that nearly 9% of workers in the United States have high AI exposure and high automation risk, putting them at risk of being displaced by AI-powered software.

In Florida, the study, conducted by (un)Common Logic, a data-driven digital marketing agency, showed that 10.2% of workers were at risk of AI-related automation, making it the fourth most-at-risk state behind South Dakota (11.4%), Kansas (10.3%) and Delaware (10.3%).

The study broke those numbers down further by metropolitan area. Pensacola was ranked No. 15 out of 96 midsized metropolitan areas with 9.7% of workers being at risk.

Historically, jobs involving repetitive or simple tasks have always been the most at risk of being replaced by automation, but the explosive popularity of AI has since broadened the scope. Here’s what to know.

What jobs are most at risk of displacement by AI?

According to (un)Common Logic, most occupations are unlikely to be significantly impacted by AI. Professions such as lawyers, CEOs and civil engineers may have high exposure to AI through tools that help enhance decision-making, but they’re at a lower risk of being totally automated.

Other jobs, such as fast food cooks, farm laborers and cashiers, are at lower risk, according to the study. Despite having high automation risk, they don’t carry the same risk of AI exposure.

Jobs most likely to be displaced have high exposure and high automation. Examples of these professions include budget analysts, loan officers, accountants, insurance sales agents and paralegals. These professions are held by knowledge or information workers (un)Common Logic believes carry out tasks that could be replicated by AI-powered software. These workers represent about 9% of the total U.S. workforce.

Methodology

Data sources include the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2023), Frey and Osborne’s Probability of Computerization by Occupation (2013), and Felten et al.’s AI Occupational Exposure (2021).

To determine the locations with the most workers at risk of AI-related job displacement, researchers calculated the percentage of workers in occupations that have both high AI exposure and high probabilities of computerization.

For the purpose of this analysis, high AI exposure was defined as being at least one standard deviation above the mean and high probability of computerization was defined as being 70% or more. Researchers also calculated the percentage of workers at risk of any computerized automation, which is simply the share of workers in occupations with high probabilities of computerization, regardless of their AI exposure.

To improve comparisons across locations, metropolitan areas were grouped into cohorts based on population: small (less than 350,000), midsize (350,000–999,999), and large (1,000,000 or more).