What Jobs Will AI Replace?

It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world of work from the inside out. However, when it comes to the long-term effects of the AI boom, there’s a lot that’s still up in the air.

“Currently, the actual labor market impact is uneven and ripe for speculation, hype and anxiety,” said Dr. George Siemens, chief AI officer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). “This isn’t to say that there won’t be dramatic labor market impacts. From the lens of today, we are seeing mild labor market indicators that remain ambiguous as to sustained impact or durability of the trend.”

In addition to his work at SNHU, Siemens is the co-founder of Human Systems, Inc., an organization that builds resources to respond to AI's impact on learning and wellness, and a founding president of the Global Research Alliance for AI in Learning and Education. He spoke about AI's impact at a TEDxSNHU event and has delivered keynote addresses in more than 40 countries.

During this current period of flux, Siemens said it’s impossible to truly know what’s to come. But examining the changes that have occurred thus far in tandem with industry projections could offer insight into where to take your career next.

So, Will AI Take Your Job?

AI can perform some tasks better than others, which means certain roles may be at more immediate risk of replacement.

“When we're looking at the workforce disruptions, that's something that here in the United States we're really starting to wrestle with,” said Dr. Robert MacAuslan, vice president of AI at SNHU. MacAuslan's doctorate is in sociology, and he's taught courses on the societal impacts of technology and AI. He's also a founder of signal processing and machine learning startups.

Many AI enthusiasts emphasize that automation can replace boring day-to-day tasks, freeing you up to do more interesting work, according to MacAuslan. “But the truth is, that's ignoring some of the issues,” he said. “We have a large workforce in service sectors.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) noted these positions among those projected to decline most by 2034:*

• Administrative support workers*
• Cashiers*
• Customer service representatives*
• Data entry keyers*
• Office clerks*

Similarly, MacAuslan said administrative and service roles that don’t require relationship building, like call center jobs, are facing the harshest impacts.

Read more: The Future of Artificial Intelligence

Are Entry-Level Jobs Disappearing?

Some entry-level positions across industries appear to be at risk of being replaced by automation and AI, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). Since AI can perform many tasks that used to fall to entry-level workers, certain companies have been abstaining from hiring these positions. But this decision could have consequences, and Forbes noted that the practice is not sustainable for businesses that will eventually need a new generation of decision-makers.

Many leaders plan to course correct, though, with 67% of CEOs expecting higher entry-level head counts in 2026, the global advisory firm Teneo reports. The long-term impact, Siemens said, still remains to be seen.

Keep learning: What is an Entry-Level Job?

What Jobs Will Survive AI?

Many jobs in tech, business and healthcare are projected to grow at a faster-than-average pace through 2034, BLS said.* For example:

• Data scientist*
• Financial examiner*
• Information security analyst*
• Medical and health service manager*
• Operations research analyst*

But when it comes to a wide-angle view of the future? “It's really hard for us to point at any one thing and say, ‘This is going to be entirely safe,’” MacAuslan said.

More roles could be affected in the future as robotics advances, he noted, but he said jobs requiring manual labor aren't at risk for the time being.

What Are AI’s Limitations?

AI might be able to perform certain tasks as well as a human being, but there are limits to its capabilities, according to Dr. Lundy Lewis, a professor of computer information systems at SNHU who has specialized in AI for 40 years and holds 37 patents on applications of AI.

“AI is capable of comparable human-like intelligence if the domain of coverage is relatively well-known, stable and predictable; otherwise, one will begin to see limitations, e.g., the problem of hallucinations in generative AI,” he said.

Beyond issues like hallucinations and AI bias, there are some human skills that AI just can’t replicate. Among the most essential is human judgment, Harvard Business School reports, noting that AI can’t reliably distinguish good ideas from bad ones.

“It’s better to think of AI as assisting human intelligence rather than replacing it,” Lewis said.

What Does the Future of Work Look Like?

Within the field of software engineering, Siemens said a work task transference has already started to occur, highlighting the importance of human skills in the AI age. Some professionals have delegated certain tasks — like coding — to AI, and in turn, Siemens said these roles are now focused on oversight and judgment.

“If we look at the impact of AI on software engineering and extrapolate that as a model to the broader economy (i.e. all knowledge work), we can assume a similar job task impact across all sectors," he said, “where AI performs certain tasks but human agency and judgment raise in prominence."

According to research from the tech company CompTIA, 79% of companies that have already tried automating tasks with AI reported a degree of backtracking and returning work to human employees. While this may be partially indicative of growing pains for the technology and workforce, it also serves as a reminder that AI systems often need support from human workers to be successful, WEF said.

Read more: The Future of Work: Changes in the Workplace and Workforce

How to Be Employable in the AI Era

In addition to developing your soft skills, Siemens recommended upskilling in AI to get ready for the job market. “To prepare for this emerging AI-centric world, it’s critical that all individuals begin ongoing learning and development to get comfortable with AI tools and technologies,” he said.

Demand for AI fluency has grown sevenfold in the past two years — faster than any other skill in the U.S., the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company reports. If you’re looking to enhance your employability, AI courses could be worth it.

“Take project-based courses with experiential learning that involve practical/applied AI,” Lewis said. “That is, get your hands dirty.”

At SNHU, you could take a 6-week micro-credential course, Generative AI: Concept to Innovation, to learn more about responsible AI use and practices. Or, you might opt to take an 8-week college course in AI, like “Introduction to AI Literacy.”

At the end of the day, you can't predict the future — but embracing technological advances may help you prepare for it.

*Cited job growth projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth. Actual salaries and/or earning potential may be the result of a combination of factors including, but not limited to: years of experience, industry of employment, geographic location, and worker skill.

Mars Girolimon '21 '23G is a staff writer at Southern New Hampshire University where they earned their bachelor's and master's, both in English and creative writing. In addition to their work in higher education, Girolimon's short fiction is published in the North American Review, So It Goes by The Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library, X-R-A-Y and more. Connect with them on LinkedIn.