'Hey ChatGPT finish this building': This advertisement takes a wicked dig at AI enthusiasts

All that any professional – creative or analytical – can think about now is how artificial intelligence (AI) is coming for their jobs. The discussion has now more or less moved to how soon that is going to be. But a certain jobs agency, specialising in skilled jobs, believes that there are still certain kinds of work that AI can’t dig into. 

The ad of a giant billboard around an under-construction building has gone viral. The ad by Belgian agency Impact, reads as follows: “Hey ChatGPT, finish this building…Your skills are irreplaceable.”

The ad that has since gone viral was also shared by the agency on social media. It said, “AI can do a lot. But AI can’t finish this building on the Keyserlei in Antwerp. AI can't fix a leak or install a heating system neither. Crafts(wo)men are here to stay, and they deserve to be recognized. Their skills are simply irreplaceable.”

The company, an employment agency for technical and construction specialists, said that this billboard on the Antwerp building would remain from June 1 to 9. In a nod to new technologies and AI, the company said that the potential of AI is enormous but the skills of crafts(wo)men are irreplaceable. 

The ad started a discussion on social media about AI and jobs. While some said that this ad is ‘smart and ingenuous’, some said that this is flawed, especially in context of the developments that technology is currently making. 

Meanwhile, a recent report released by Challenger, Gray & Christmas has said that AI has been identified as the reason for approximately 4,000 job losses in May this year, which is 4.9 per cent of the total job cuts in this month. These job losses have been across various sectors. 

Another report in March, by investment bank Goldman Sachs, predicted that AI could potentially displace 300 million full-time jobs worldwide, affecting nearly one-fifth of the global workforce.

Also read: ‘AI threats can result in a situation worse than Chernobyl,' says veteran tech expert Romesh Wadhwani

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