Will Robots Take My Job? Exploring the Effect of Artificial Intelligence in Taiwan’s Labor Market

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and related new technologies have received a lot of attention from the public. In Taiwan, the government and enterprises are also making efforts to develop these technologies. Against this backdrop, and with the massive unemployment that resulted from automation in the third industrial revolution, human workers are anxious about their jobs being replaced by smart robots. On the contrary, many scholars hold a positive view and suggest that technologies augment and enhance human capabilities. Therefore, in order to better understand the present situation in Taiwan, this research was designed to explore the relationship of AI and jobs by adopting a qualitative approach for data collection. Two sessions of focus group discussion were conducted with eight practitioners from different industries, in addition to three in-depth interviews with executive-level managers. All participants have rich knowledge and experience in AI development or implementation. The discussions mainly focused on: (1) examples of the impact of AI and related new technologies on the labor market, (2) the competency of future talents, and (3) suggestions for policymakers. The discussions were recorded with the consent of the participants and transcribed into textual data for further analysis. The research adopted ATLAS.ti version 8 for data analysis. The findings revealed: (1) most practitioners consider AI as a tool; (2) task replacement does happen but workers gain more benefits; (3) new jobs are created as technologies are being developed and utilized. Most participants hold an affirmative attitude toward AI and new technologies. Suggestions for the government and organizations have also been discussed.