Will AI replace data entry jobs?
Data entry has been the gateway for much of legacy content created by mankind, to be digitized, making it suitable for all the applications and uses that any digital content would have. Whether it is analysis, whether it is running mathematical formulae on, or whether it is for smooth transfer from one application into another.
In the present day, the job of data entry appears to be an anachronism, a dinosaur that ancient man, about twenty years in the past, might have been comfortable with, but that has no place in today’s internet connected world of virtual meetings, space travel, drone deliveries, driverless cars and artificial intelligence (AI).
After all, as digital systems have become widespread, as required legacy content held on manual output media, mainly paper, has gradually been digitized, should the need for data entry not have substantially reduced?
But, guess what, data entry continues to be a huge need for companies all around the globe, with new types of data entry requirements coming up, like data annotation services.
What do we mean by data entry?
What exactly is a data entry job? Let us take a look at what constitutes data entry and what the types of jobs that are referred to as data entry jobs are. A perusal of the job descriptions of a few data entry job postings might throw up some of the following requirements:- Compiling information from various sources in preparation for data entry
- Reviewing information to ensure uniformity prior to initiating entry of data into an application
- Entering information into a database from manual records or typed sheets
- Typing out a handwritten document or types sheets into a word processor
- Running reports to vouch for accuracy of data that has been manually entered
- Preparing a database to receive manual entries
- Researching and obtaining information, where found deficient or inaccurate
- Checking for accuracy of input of other operators
- Generating reports and performing backup operations as assigned
- Running documents through OCR software for the purpose of digitization
- Checking for accuracy of documents digitized through an OCR process