Career Advice
10 Jobs That Artificial Intelligence Will Soon Replace
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing workflows, including the way companies communicate with customers. More and more operations that used to be performed by humans are being automated and assigned to computers. And it’s no surprise because AI can complete tasks much faster, better, and more efficiently than humans.
Active automation leads to the rapid transformation of necessary skills in many working positions. And as technology advances, robots are gradually surpassing humans in a growing number of tasks.
Because of this, many professionals have to retrain and learn new skills as computers take over their positions. So you may be wondering: will my profession disappear too?
Of course, artificial intelligence job replacement is not possible in all areas. Many jobs require applying things that computers do not have: creativity, emotions, empathy, etc. However, some professions are "endangered" and can be replaced by machine labor.
We'll consider 10 of them and determine how and when it can happen. Also, we'll discuss the overall changes in the labor market (based on the data and materials from the World Economic Forum, short for WEF).
What Is WEF and Its Future of Jobs Report?
The World Economic Forum is an international non-profit organization founded in 1971 in Geneva. It is independent and brings together leaders in politics, culture, business, and other areas.
The WEF's Future of Jobs report for 2020 highlights the occupations and skills relevant in the coming years. It explores changes in the labor market resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and considers the historical and economic context. The report also presents a detailed analysis based on data about the spread of technology, current jobs, and skills that will be relevant in the next five years.
The data was collected by WEF with the help of over 100 reputable partners and supported by credible expert opinion leaders from various professional fields worldwide. The report also used unique data provided by LinkedIn, Coursera, ADP, and FutureFit AI, collected using innovative new metrics.
You should note that the conclusions provided in the report are global trends, which may differ from country to country. The changes in the labor market described in the report may transform with time and occur at different speeds.
10 Occupations That'll Grow in Demand
According to WEF, the demand for 10 of the following occupations will only grow in the next few years:
- Data analysts and scientists;
- AI and machine learning specialists;
- Big data specialists;
- Digital marketing and strategy specialists;
- Process automation specialists;
- Business development professionals;
- Digital transformation specialists;
- Information security analysts;
- Software and applications developers;
- Internet of Things (IoT) specialists.
10 Occupations That Might Disappear Soon
Now let's talk about the professions that are steadily disappearing. 10 of the following occupations are likely to be superseded by AI and machines:
You can see the more extended lists of professions that will be losing and gaining popularity in the next few years in the screenshot below.
- Data entry clerks;
- Administrative and executive secretaries;
- Accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll clerks;
- Accountants and auditors;
- Assembly and factory workers;
- Business services and administration managers;
- Client information and customer service workers;
- General and operations managers;
- Mechanics and machinery repairers;
- Material-recording and stock-keeping clerks.
Image credit: Future of Jobs Survey 2020, World Economic Forum
Which Conclusions Should We Make?
The list of emerging professions presented above reflects the proliferation of new technologies and the increasing need for new products and services.
Demand is growing for specialists in the green economy, positions at the forefront of the data economy and AI, and new jobs in engineering, cloud services, and software development.
If we talk about website and app creation and maintenance, the demand for qualified employees also continues to grow. In addition, due to the rise of new, more advanced CMS, the need for such services as optimizing online stores is expanding. This includes speeding up a storefront’s performance, enhancing the Magento search function and UX\UI design, adding features like smart chatbots and virtual try-ons, headless architecture, and PWA development, among other services.
Human interaction remains vital among the new professions in the care economy, marketing, sales, content production, and other industries where human-to-human relationships are essential.
Will Robots Replace Human Employees?
AI automates repetitive and often dangerous tasks, from data entry to manufacturing activities. This technology is changing the core of work in many different jobs, freeing people from dull routines and allowing them to focus on creative, high-value issues. This positively impacts both businesses and employees who can be more productive and entrepreneurial.
The impact and benefits of AI are undeniable, and its application will steadily expand and grow in scale. So should you start worrying if your job isn't on the list of professions of the future? Let's try to figure it out.
The Future of Jobs Survey 2020 has collected data from 15 industries and 26 countries. According to it, experts predict that about 85 million jobs will be replaced by machine labor by 2025. But instead of them, about 97 million new positions may emerge. Such jobs will be more adaptable to the new workflow division between humans, machines, and algorithms.
Thus, it is true that AI threatens the existence of some professions that do not require specific skills. However, AI is also creating jobs that will require entirely new skill sets. This means that people whose jobs are no longer relevant will have the opportunity to retrain.
Where will AI be increasingly used?
Is AI already pushing out any human jobs?
- in manufacturing;
- optimizing processes;
- reducing the demand for human labor (this is especially true for product development, logistics, robotics, and predictive maintenance industries).
Of course. AI is replacing human jobs in positions that require copying, transcribing, and typing. Artificial intelligence also takes over jobs gradually in areas such as medical diagnostics, translation, and accounting.
But what can’t AI replace?
At least for now, it isn't capable of replacing human judgment. It cannot develop complex strategies, think critically, or create sophisticated scenarios. In many jobs, it is possible to use the help of AI to solve problems, but the final decision still rests with humans.
The Demand for Professional Skills in Future Years
WEF also estimated what skills will be demanded in job-related activities shortly. The list of the top 15 job-related skills for 2025 includes:
- analytical thinking;
- creativity;
- active learning;
- flexibility;
- complex problem-solving;
- and others (see the complete list in the screenshot below).
In addition to the skills and abilities directly related to professional activities, personal development, self-organization, and stress resistance are becoming more important. This is due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting increase in the transition of employees to remote work.
Furthermore, informal training is becoming more and more popular among employers who offer their workers opportunities for learning, position changes, and professional development.
Wrapping Up
According to the WEF, if in 2020 the percentage of automation was 33%, by 2025, this indicator will reach 47%. However, this does not mean that robots will leave people without jobs.
Image credit: Future of Jobs Survey 2020, World Economic Forum
Professions that require human skills and abilities such as communication, creativity, decision-making, and others cannot be fully automated, so they will remain in demand in the future. The need for specialists in the green economy and new professions in engineering and cloud programming will also continue to grow.
At the same time, some professions that use manual labor and require routine, repetitive actions will be rapidly replaced by AI-based machines. This will lead to many low-skilled and low-paid employees being left behind.
We can thus conclude that the labor market will undergo a severe transformation in the upcoming years. Against the backdrop of widespread automation, many workers will have to requalify to keep up with the changes. And new, more complex, creative, and exciting jobs will replace those disappearing out of necessity.
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