All this week, our daily charts will focus on one of the hottest topics in business: AI. We’ll take a closer look at the technology’s implications for growth, industries, the workforce, and more.
Generative AI is poised to transform roles across sectors, from sales to software development and more. As much as 40 percent of workers’ current tasks require a general understanding of natural language. Jobs involving communication and documentation have the potential to be automated by generative AI, note senior partner Lareina Yee and coauthors. This could accelerate the transformation of work in education and technology, which had been expected to occur later.
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A bar graph shows the technical automation potential in the US in 2023 by occupation group. Groups are listed from top to bottom by most impacted to least impacted, both without and with generative AI (gen AI) as a factor. The top 3 most impacted without gen AI are office support, 66%; production work, 73%; and food services, 70%. The top 3 most impacted with gen AI are office support, 87%; production work, 82%; and food services, 78%. The bottom 3 least impacted without gen AI are health aides, technicians, and wellness, 34%; health professionals, 29%; and property maintenance, 29%. The bottom 3 least impacted with gen AI are health aides, technicians, and wellness, 43%; health professionals, 43%; and property maintenance, 38%. An increase in risk of automation for all with gen AI is shown.
Note: Figures may not sum to 100%, because of rounding.
Footnote 1: Overall technical automation potential, comparison in midpoint scenarios.
Footnote 2: Previous assessment of work automation before the rise of generative AI.
Source: McKinsey Global Institute analysis.
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To read the report, see “The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier,” June 14, 2023.