We must prepare for the AI revolution

If the internet was the major change for humanity following the agricultural and industrial revolutions, the application of artificial intelligence is perhaps the next transformation. Last week's headline, "Robots could take a million local jobs by 2038", may sound incredible or even be seen as scaremongering. But human resources being replaced by artificial intelligence will be an inevitable trend we have to reckon with. It is perhaps time we put more thought into the implications and the corresponding actions needed to help cope with the challenge. If the study by the One Country, Two Systems Research Institute is any reference, more than a quarter of Hong Kong's workforce, including secretaries and accountants, is vulnerable to automation. Jobs that are considered safer include doctors, nurses, teachers, architects and journalists.