Forbes : 10 Highest-Paying Tech Jobs In The U.S.

[George Toft]

Very insightful.  I think you could probably write a paper on this topic.

Regards,

George Toft

On 12/11/2023 1:40 PM, David Schwartz via PLUG-discuss wrote:
>
>> On Dec 11, 2023, at 6:09 AM, Keith Smith via PLUG-discuss 
>> <plug-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
>>
>> I see AI being a windfall in the near term.  Example would be an 
>> affiliate marketer could use AI to write articles for his/her blog. 
>> The article wold need to be rewritten, however it would be so much 
>> faster and potentially more comprehensive,  If one can teach AL 
>> modern SEO then that person could rock!!
>>
>
> It’s already nearly impossible to find anything useful on Google due 
> to abuse of tricks people use to get their web pages found by the 
> search engines, and there are plenty of tools that are teaching people 
> how to do this using AI tools like ChatGPT already that are only going 
> to make it a couple orders of magnitude worse.
>
> I’m in a class now that teaches a different approach that also uses AI 
> for content, but it feeds the search engines what they’re looking for, 
> not the same crap everybody else is feeding them, and it works really 
> well. It looks similar to SEO, but it takes a totally different 
> approach. It’s a manual method of finding keywords, with AI used to 
> help write content. If AI could be trained to do the whole process, 
> then they’d use it for that as well, but I don’t see that as something 
> we’ll see anytime soon.
>
> Suffice it to say it’s a process that looks for what’s missing, which 
> isn’t something automation is very good at — you’d end up with a huge 
> list of pretty much irrelevant stuff, or random selections from such a 
> list. It takes a little work to figure it out yourself. I have no idea 
> how you’d train an AI to do it.
>
> There seems to be plenty of people using AI to create windfalls by 
> cranking out content in seconds that historically has required weeks 
> or months or longer for people to do. What it’s doing is putting 
> ghostwriters out of business, and increasing demand for editors.
>
> I watched a video about a 20 yo kid who has been using ChatGPT to 
> crank out books in a particular niche for about 18 months. He has 
> created a particular brand and creates books under that brand, and has 
> published several hundred now. He says he’s already made over $1M, and 
> can sell his biz for at least that much. Of course, he teaches a class 
> on how to do it. The ultimate outcome here is the same as with SEO: 
> markets are going to be flooded with generic material and it will be 
> impossible to find anything specific to your needs.
>
> I’m working on an app that generates personalized Guided Meditations 
> (GMs). It does NOT use AI because AI isn’t needed, but that doesn’t 
> stop people from telling me it’s a fool’s errand because there are 
> already thousands of GM apps on the market, the vast majority of which 
> are free. There’s a simple reason for this: every course on app 
> development typically includes an exercise to build a virtual MP3 
> player. So people build it, then think, “Ahh, I can use this to load 
> up meditations and then offer it up as a meditation app!” Another 
> exercise lets you build a recorder app that creates … yes, you guessed 
> it … MP3 files.
>
> Last count there were over 6000 of these “meditation apps” aka 
> “virtual iPods” loaded up with prerecorded personal meditations, and 
> over half were from people in India. So what you have is a market 
> flooded with generic GMs by people who aren’t very well-trained at 
> creating them, about topics that are of interest to those individuals, 
> and no way to search them for specific attributes. They started out 
> simply as a programming exercise, but the collective effect is an 
> entire market niche flooded with content and no way to search for 
> anything specific. This is not an “AI problem” but a scalibility 
> problem. Maybe we can use AI to fix it, but I think that’s a waste of 
> resources with very little return.
>
> The problem with flooding the market with stuff like this, be it web 
> pages, books, meditation apps, videos, or whatever, is that there’s 
> nothing in place to help you sift through these huge haystacks for a 
> few needles that represent the intersection of qualities YOU ARE MOST 
> INTERESTED IN. This is the same problem that’s affecting Google 
> because of SEO. It will inevitably lead to the same problems in any 
> market that has been flooded with content — there’s no way to find 
> stuff quickly and efficiently that fits your needs other than building 
> a “better search engine”, right?
>
> What we’re doing is building huge digital garbage dumps and telling 
> people looking for specific things, “Hey, dig away!”
>
> SEO has broken the internet, and AI will only make things worse. It’s 
> a HUGE garbage dump or warehouse, and nobody has the time nor the 
> interest to waste trying to find specific things buried there.
>
> But what if it was quicker to just create what you need in 5 minutes 
> instead of searching for it in a huge warehouse?
>
> Here’s the thing I see this situation inevitably leading to: people 
> who love to read will soon be able to go to something like a vending 
> machine where you give it a few details about yourself and what you 
> like and dislike, push a button, and it generates a personalized 
> eBook, meditation, video, or whatever you want, tailored just for you. 
> It’s a one-off thing and yours to do what you want with it. Why not 
> clothing? Or blog entries?
>
> People keep speaking of this in terms of ways to replace what people 
> are already doing. But these approaches are limited by our current 
> abilities and resources. That’s not very useful and it’s not where AI 
> is going to really shine. Why use AI to create more of the same 
> garbage that nobody can find? Google has lost its ability to find 
> stuff, and has turned into a way of generating money simply from 
> people searching for stuff that’s getting harder and harder to find, 
> making their search sessions longer and hence generating more profits 
> for Google. At some point, people will realize it’s a huge waste of time!
>
> What people are missing about the value of AI is that it’s going to 
> allow the large-scale creation of PERSONALIZED CONTENT.
>
> This is the beginning of mass customization and personalization of 
> virtually everything!
>
> The digital world will be first, and before long it will lead to using 
> 3D printing to create personalized physical stuff as well.
>
> For example, I have arthritis in my thumbs, and it makes it hard to 
> pick up normal drinking glasses. I prefer those with a handle, but I 
> like one that’s big enough to fit my four fingers in so I don’t need 
> to use my thumb for leverage. Lots of mugs have small handles on them 
> that are hard to get even two fingers into. Some are larger, and some 
> handle shapes work better than others.
>
> However, consumers are stuck buying things that the manufacturers have 
> decided to make based on a lot of criteria that have nothing to do 
> with you or me. But we might want a specific configuration. So why not 
> be able to order glasses and mugs with a specific design, including a 
> handle that fits what fits us best? Or no handle at all?
>
> See how this starts to shift the whole world of mass marketing to 
> personalized made-on-demand goods and services? AI will help with some 
> of it, and isn’t needed for a lot either. But given our current ways 
> of doing things in the world, it’s impossible — so nobody is doing it. 
> No jobs will be “lost” with this new approach to personalized stuff. 
> In fact, lots of new jobs will be created.
>
> In the broader scheme of things, think of the publishing biz as a way 
> to create personalized “fantasy novels” or even movies that cater to 
> an individual's quirks. Who’s doing this now? NOBODY! Entirely new 
> jobs will be created!
>
> This is basically why Blockbuster went bust — because their business 
> model was to set up big warehouses in different places around town and 
> people would go in and browse for what they wanted. Netflix came along 
> and let you browse on the web from home or the office, and they 
> delivered your order to your door — a more personalized offering. Now 
> you can browse and click a button and start watching what you want 
> instantly. Netflix still exists, but they don’t ship out disks in the 
> mail any more.
>
> From another angle, consider something where you take a test on some 
> topic and then you’re given a lesson (or series of them) designed to 
> not just reinforce what you already know, but with additional material 
> that you’re weak in or is the “next step” in your training. If you 
> have consistent trouble with particular topics, it will give you more 
> exercises in those areas and provide additional help where it’s 
> needed. It would work more like a personal tutor than a teacher 
> presenting material based on a one-size-fits-all classroom setting.
>
> This is creating a totally new realm that is far too inefficient and 
> expensive for any individual to do. No jobs will be lost because 
> nobody is doing it now, nor can anybody do it on any sort of scale.
>
> The jobs that will be lost are the ones that are doing repetative jobs 
> making or doing the same things over and over again — jobs that do not 
> lend themselves to personalized or customized products. Sure, there 
> are lots of jobs like that, but so what? Automation is already 
> eliminating a lot of them, not AI. And there will always be a market 
> for "jellybeans”.
>
> Consider a future where most of what you can buy online is 
> personalized to your specific needs. Not like ordering a pair of shoes 
> or clothing from a preset list of sizing options, but where you enter 
> your physical measurements and other details and get something that 
> fits like a glove made just for you. Now extend this to most other 
> things you consume or use regularly, especially those that “don’t 
> quite fit”.
>
> -David Schwartz
>
>
>
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