Will Intelligent Technologies Replace Humans in the Future? An Exploratory Study for Likelihood of Intelligent Technologies to Replace Humans in the Future

The study aims to explore the likelihood of Intelligent Technologies to substitute humans in the future. The research adopts qualitative approach and designs qualitative open-ended questionnaires, which is exploratory in nature, to collect empirical data from the selective samples, based on purposive sampling methods. Thematic data analysis is adopted to generate the qualitative findings from the open-ended questionnaires. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is found to benefit humans but also negatively impact humans. Nevertheless, regardless of how the future artificial intelligence develops, it will only be a machine or a set of algorithms written by humans. It will never replace humans, because humans are living organisms and organic life, but AI is just a programme or a machine which is inanimate. The qualitative findings of the study provide a further insight to explore the possibilities of AI to replace humans in the future. The authors adopt theory of Id, Ego and Superego and Explicit Wisdom Theories to contribute to theory extension on AI job replacement theory, which is further proposed as mechanical, analytical, intuitive, and empathetic, desire and wisdom (with eastern-based compassion and morality). The research highlights the possibility of AI in substituting humans at the market, to highlight about the dark sides of AI applications. All users of AI applications must be cautious and apply AI moderately for good, to mitigate the possible risks of AI to replace humans in the future. This research gap provides a research deficiency which is worthy of further exploration.