Quoting Sal Khan

AI creates an education challenge, not just a job crisis. We haven't built systems to help people to continue learning and connect them to new opportunities.

Sal Khan (founder and CEO of Khan Academy) wrote an op-ed in the New York Times (gift link): A.I. Will Displace Workers at a Scale Many Don’t Realize.

The threat of artificial intelligence doesn’t only present a job crisis. It creates an education challenge. The problem isn’t that people can’t work. It’s that we haven’t built systems to help them continue learning and connect them to new opportunities as the world changes rapidly.

I’ve spent nearly two decades trying to help people learn at every age. I’ve seen how many people aren’t able to enter growing fields because they lack basic science, reading comprehension and math skills that should be mastered by high school (but unfortunately often aren’t). And I’ve also seen what becomes possible when people are given access to free education that meets them where they are, helping them to learn at their own pace. The same approach can equip workers to prepare for new careers.

Millions of jobs will be waiting for them. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nearly two million open health care jobs each year for the next decade. UNESCO estimates a global shortage of 44 million teachers by 2030. The construction industry needs more than 500,000 additional workers annually just to meet demand, and openings for electricians and plumbers are growing faster than average. The hospitality and elder care industries — work rooted in empathy and presence — are expanding, not shrinking. There is no shortage of meaningful work — only a shortage of pathways into it.

Read the full article here: A.I. Will Displace Workers at a Scale Many Don’t Realize.