Artificial Intelligence Could Take Over 16% of Jobs in China by 2030

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A new report from McKinsey says up to 16% of jobs in China could be taken over by automated machines as a result of the latest advances in artificial intelligence.

The report from the McKinsey Global Institute looked at the impact of artificial intelligence and automation developments upon 800 professions in 46 different countries, and concluded that by 2030 around 375 million jobs could be taken over by machines, accounting for 14% of the global total.

According to the report in 60% of professions, 30% of work activities will undergo automation over the next several years.

Industries where human workers are the most susceptible to replacement by machines are led by accommodation and food services, with an ability to automate of over 70%, following by manufacturing and transportation and warehousing, with rates of around 60%.

The mining and retail trade sectors are also high on the list, with ability to automate rates of roughly 50%.

When broken down by regions, China can expect to see 16% of all jobs taken over by machines by 2030, which means that over 100 million positions will be automated over the next 12 years.

The comparable figure for the US is 23%, while in Germany it’s expected to reach 24%.

University of Oxford economists Michael Osborne and Carl Frey are even more extreme in their predictions, forecasting that approximately 77% of existing jobs in China could be automated by 2020, 47% in the US and 69% in India.

The report comes just as China steps up its investment in artificial intelligence, ploughing over $1 billion into strategic hi-tech sectors since 2015 as part of its Made in China 2025 plan, as well as seeking to establish standardised assessment and evaluation systems for AI.