Mark Kashef thought finance was the most stable and profitable career until ChatGPT was released. On November 30, 2022, OpenAI's chatbot became available to the public, generating human-like responses to basic prompts. While some dismissed it as a fad, 27-year-old Kashef saw it as a lucrative opportunity with dollar signs.

The Ottawa native had switched from finance to data science. He felt stagnant while content at Amazon as an engineer and sought a fresh challenge. Three days after ChatGPT's release, he seized the AI trend by creating a profile on Fiverr, an online freelance platform. He offered consultations on generative AI for productivity and chatbot development, getting dozens of requests working 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. every night.

Kashef earned a master's degree in artificial intelligence management from Queen's University in 2020. He transitioned from finance to data science, along with his experience in emerging AI technologies, enabling him to set more competitive rates. Kashef still operates his AI consultancy on Fiverr alongside his full-time role as a data science manager at ODAIA, a Toronto-based AI-powered data analytics firm serving pharmaceutical companies, charging up to $750 per project.

AI Sparking Both Job Loss Fears and Job Opportunities

The emergence of ChatGPT two years ago sparked public discussions about AI's impact, raising concerns among workers about potential job loss or drastic changes in their routines. However, AI might generate more job opportunities than it eliminates. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025, AI could replace around 85 million jobs and create approximately 97 million new roles.

According to Business Insider, Meta, Netflix, and Amazon have been recruiting more employees to work on AI models in recent years, with some offering salaries as high as $900,000. Generative AI has also led to the emergence of new job roles, such as prompt engineers and chief AI officers, and has spurred the growth of remote side jobs with six-figure incomes, such as AI content editing and graphic design.

AI is still in its Experimental Phase

According to ZipRecruiter chief economist Julia Pollak, many companies hire AI roles like data scientists and software developers on temporary contracts or as freelancers because companies are still uncertain about how they want to profit from this technology. Pollak highlights that industries beyond the tech sector, such as retail, finance, healthcare, and education, have shown a strong and steady interest in hiring for AI positions. Still, it will likely take a few years for other industries to catch up.

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Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Working in a rapidly changing field like AI has a major downside: job security. According to Pollak, while AI has significant opportunities, there are also considerable risks, highlighting that the field still lacks standardized roles, career paths, and title progressions. According to Pollak, companies will invest in AI talent for the long term if the technology is successful. However, if it does not meet expectations, those teams may be disbanded, adding that AI professionals should be ready to change jobs or even industries in the short term and possess transferable skills beyond just AI.

Kashef, an optimist, envisions a future where AI complements existing jobs in various industries instead of being replaced. Through his work on Fiverr, he's thrilled to witness how non-tech businesses quickly adopt AI, like real estate agents using AI for generating listings and executive assistants relying on AI-powered transcription services for meeting notes. Kashef emphasizes that "We don't know what AI is going to take away just as much as we don't know what it will give us in return," emphasizing that while the impact of AI remains uncertain, it's essential to embrace it rather than avoid it entirely, as AI is here to stay.

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