Stephie Goodman, London/ UK, gerente de conteúdo da Wikijob – artigo encaminhado no dia 17 de julho de 2023, especialmente, para o portal do PAE GA.

Rise of AI in the Environmental Sector:

Should You Worry?

The rise of artificial intelligence in different sectors both excites and worries many people.

Numerous employees believe that AI can replace them since this technology can do their jobs faster and more efficiently.

On the other hand, other workers are excited about the arrival of new AI and machine learning tools as these can help them improve their performance.

But, is AI really something environmental employees should worry about?

Impact of AI in the Environmental Sector

There’s no denying that artificial intelligence can drastically benefit the environmental sector.

For starters, AI and machine learning technologies can help protect or preserve the environment.

For example, AIs can be used to predict natural disasters; helping environment forecasters effectively conduct weather predictions.

So, if AI can actually help employees in the environmental sector, why are some of them afraid of getting replaced by machine learning and artificial intelligence systems?

Will AI Replace Environmental Employees?

Numerous experts warned that AIs can replace different jobs. But, others clarified that some works can never be replaced by artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence, together with robotics and machine learning, can be a threat to some workers in the transport and delivery industry.

Customer service representatives could face terminations as well since AI systems that can answer queries, troubleshoot problems, and process orders are already being developed.

The workers in the manufacturing sector are expected to be the most impacted since AI and robotics can do their physical work faster and more efficiently.

Amit Batra, the COO of Innovana Thinklabs—a leading software company—, thinks that AI can also take environmental jobs.

Batra explained that AIs are becoming more sophisticated. One of the examples he provided is the environmental sector’s labor area.

He said that AI-powered drones can replace human surveyors since they can monitor wildlife populations and lands in remote areas.

Although Batra is sharing facts, there are also other reasons why artificial intelligence, robots, and machine learning can’t replace green workers. One of these reasons is that jobs in the environmental sector require deep expertise and emotional intelligence.

Just like scientists, doctors, and lawyers, AI can’t replace environmental employees since green jobs require critical thinking, deep understanding, and compassion toward Mother Nature. Remember, companies and organizations in the environmental sector commonly look for individuals who love animals and nature itself.

Environmental Jobs Today That Use AI

For the past few years, many jobs in the environmental sector are already taking advantage of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, such as the following:

● Environmental Scientists: They can get real-time data on renewable energy usage optimization, production, distribution, and consumption with the help of AI.

● Renewable Energy Engineers: With the help of AI, they can efficiently adjust renewable energy output
sources depending on predicted weather patterns.

● Waste Management Specialists: They can take advantage of AI to better analyze data on waste collection patterns. Thanks to this, they can reduce fuel consumption and optimize collection routes.
● Environmental Conservation and Monitoring: People in this sector can benefit from AI since it can make accurate environmental damage detections.

With this, environmental conservation experts can prevent these damages before they can become irreversible.

AI-Powered Environmental Jobs of the Future

The mentioned green jobs above are just among the environmental professions that take advantage of artificial intelligence.

As AI and machine learning systems become more advanced, more green occupations relying on them are expected to arrive in the future.

These AI green jobs of the future will use artificial intelligence to achieve better sustainability and create more efficient environmental solutions for various industries:

● Climate Forecasting and Climate Modeling: Jobs focusing on developing advanced climate models to better predict climate change will arrive.

● AI-Driven Agriculture Specialists: In agriculture, AI specialists will soon increase in numbers since the demand for better drones, AI algorithms, and farming sensors could rise. Their expertise will help increase the use of crop yields and increase their numbers.

● AI-Drive Green Manufacturing Experts: These professionals will help environmental organizations optimize manufacturing processes, minimize waste, and reduce energy consumption. They’ll work on predictive maintenance and automation to make this happen.

Aside from the green jobs mentioned above, more AI-driven environmental occupations are expected to be in-demand in the near future.

These include AI sustainable transportation engineers, circular economy professionals, and renewable energy management specialists.

All this information tells you that AI can be your friend or your enemy in landing a job in the environmental sector. It’s up to you to choose which one you want AI to be.

* WikiJob.co.uk is widely recognized as one of the UK’s largest careers portals.

In addition to its comprehensive resources, it provides complimentary practice psychometric tests for various industries.