SINGAPORE, 21 December 2023: Artificial intelligence (AI) is unlikely to be the next big trend in the retail and e-commerce sector after new analysis found it ranks bottom in the proportion of job vacancies requiring AI skills.
Only 0.09% out of 91,313 vacancies in the retail and e-commerce industry require an AI-related skill, which contrasts with its cousin, the fashion industry, where 4.44% of vacancies require AI. Tailing retail is the transport and logistics industry, where only 0.11% of vacancies need AI.
Tank, a digital PR agency, analysed 18 key industries to uncover the bottom five industries that don’t seem to be embracing the technology within their workforce, ranking them based on the number of vacancies that require an element of AI.
It comes after world leaders met in the UK to discuss how AI can be developed and used safely. During the summit, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that new tools should be used as a ‘co-pilot’ to help people in their jobs instead of replacing them.
The bottom five industries requiring an AI-related skill:
The data shows that most job applicants aren’t expected to be skilful in AI when applying for roles in retail and e-commerce. However, in a competitive and trend-led industry, data-driven insights could help retailers improve forecasting, protect margins and transform the customer experience.
On the flip side, 4.44% of the 9,949 vacancies in the fashion industry require job applicants to have an AI-related skill – the highest of all verticals featured in the research. The electronic industry is hot on the heels of fashion, with 2.79% of vacancies needing AI.
The top five industries requiring an AI-related skill:
In the fashion industry, a fast-paced and competitive environment, AI can help to improve efficiency, identify trends and align supply with demand to reduce waste. Electronics ranked second place – an industry where AI could help design and develop new products and automate manufacturing processes.
Tank digital PR agency head of digital Martin Harris said: “There’s no doubt that AI is transforming the employment landscape – and I’d argue this is a good thing. It removes labour-intensive drudge work and gives people more rewarding opportunities to drive business success. Like numeracy and literacy, we will likely see data and AI literacy becoming a requirement in many technical and non-technical roles.
“Emotional intelligence is, and always will be, a human trait. It cannot be replicated authentically by a machine, but it can improve the strengths of that trait by backing it up with evidence. This year, in particular, it feels like AI has come of age and because the technology is so powerful, human judgement and oversight are more important than ever.”
To view the full research, visit: https://tankpr.co.uk/ai-and-me/
