Which industries have been reshaped under the wave of artificial intelligence?

The consulting firm McKinsey released a research report titled "The Economic Potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence." In the report, analysts analyzed 850 occupations (more than 80% of the world's labor force) in 47 countries and regions. The research explores the impact that the exponential development of AI will have on the global economy. Which industries have the greatest impact, and which people face the threat of unemployment?
The following are the main contents of the report:
1. The time for AI to replace human jobs has been significantly advanced by 10 years. Between 2030 and 2060 (the midpoint is 2045), 50% of occupations will gradually be replaced by AI.
2. AI can bring 2.6 trillion to 4.4 trillion U.S. dollars of growth to the global economy every year and increase productivity by 0.1% to 0.6%, which is equivalent to contributing to the GDP of the United Kingdom every year.
3. From a global perspective, AI is beneficial to the development of all walks of life, but it is detrimental to individuals, and highly paid and highly educated intellectual workers will be the hardest hit.
4. The value growth brought by generative AI is mainly (about 75%) concentrated in four areas: customer operations, marketing and sales, software engineering and R&D, which also means that the four businesses are most affected by generative AI.
5. The development of generative AI and other technologies may automate 60% to 70% of current work. Among them, industries such as banking, high-tech and life sciences have been most affected.
McKinsey pointed out that although generative AI will affect all walks of life, it will be particularly affected by high-wage intellectual workers who "previously were considered relatively immune to automation." Previous generations of automation technology mainly involved data collection and processing, so they had less impact on knowledge workers. However, the emergence of generative AI has made the role and tasks of “knowledge workers” perfectly aligned with large language models (LLM). match. Because large language models are fundamentally designed to complete cognitive tasks, our ability to apply large language models to professional knowledge has increased by 34 percentage points compared with 2017, while the potential for automated management and talent training has increased from 16% in 2017 to 2017. % rises to 49% in 2023.
Therefore, McKinsey believes that many tasks involving communication, supervision, recording, and interaction with people are likely to be automated by generative AI, which will undoubtedly accelerate the transformation of educators and white-collar jobs engaged in creative labor.
The rapid development of AI has had a major impact on many industries, but the following industries have been the most affected:
Technology and information technology industry: The impact of AI in the technology and information technology industry is particularly significant. It changes the way software development, automated testing, and data analysis are done. The application of AI technology has also enabled the rapid development of emerging technologies such as smartphones, smart homes, and virtual reality.
Manufacturing: The application of AI has enabled the manufacturing industry to achieve a higher level of automation. The emergence of robots, automated equipment and intelligent production lines has improved production efficiency and product quality. AI can also perform predictive maintenance, helping manufacturers reduce equipment downtime and costs.
Financial industry: AI technology has also had a huge impact on the financial industry. It can help banks and financial institutions conduct risk assessment and anti-fraud, and improve customer service quality. AI can also perform high-frequency trading, intelligent investment and financial planning, improving the efficiency of financial institutions.
Healthcare industry: AI has a wide range of applications in the healthcare field, including medical imaging diagnosis, patient monitoring, and drug research and development. AI technology can improve doctors’ diagnostic accuracy and surgical operation precision, while helping medical institutions provide more effective health management and treatment plans.
Retail industry: AI technology is also increasingly used in the retail industry. It can provide more personalized product recommendations and shopping experience through data analysis and prediction, helping retailers increase sales and improve customer satisfaction. AI can also automate logistics management and inventory control, improving the efficiency of the supply chain.
McKinsey concluded that the decline in the global birth rate and the aging of the population will become obstacles to the development of global productivity, and the development of AI and other technologies can make up for the decline in the employment population, significantly increase productivity, and speed up the global economy. While developed countries adopt AI could also be faster.