Will AI Replace Jobs?

It seems like every few years we’re introduced to a new technology that sparks fears of mass unemployment. In the past, it was factory machines (hello industrial revolution), then personal computers (remember the 3 ½ inch floppy drive?), then the Internet (RIP Geocities).

Most recently the question on everyone’s mind is: will AI replace jobs?

Honestly? It’s a legitimate worry. AI can write, summarize data, recognize images, even provide legal advice…If it can do so much, where does that leave us humans?

Jobs Will Change, Not Vanish 

It behooves us to look to history for some much-needed perspective. Remember that when ATMs arrived, people thought bank tellers were done for. In reality, banks continued to hire tellers because automation actually freed staff to focus on customer service and financial advising. Similarly, we can expect that AI may streamline tasks, but that doesn’t always mean cutting the human workforce. Instead, it could just mean shifting focus to more complex or creative work.

When AI Shines

Keep in mind that AI is good at repetitive, data-heavy, and predictable tasks. It’s okay to let it do the heavy lifting when it comes to torting invoices, analyzing market trends, or drafting a first pass at a report. AI delivers these data-based tasks with speed. If your job is built mainly on repetitive processes, it makes sense to find this intimidating, but, at the same time, it can also be freeing: with the grunt work handled, you can tackle the problem-solving, relationship-building, or strategy work that AI isn’t sophisticated enough to touch. 

Don’t Underestimate Humans

It’s important to remember that, no matter how advanced AI gets, it lacks emotional intelligence, critical nuance, and real-world lived experience that comes with humanity (for better or for worse). It wouldn’t make sense to trust AI to mediate a heated office dispute. AI can’t put in the leg work to build trust with a client. It definitely can’t come up with a quirky marketing campaign that resonates with cultural offline trends. Any human jobs that are tied to empathy, creativity, leadership, and hands-on physical work are far less vulnerable to a perceived impending AI takeover.

The AI Bubble

Some would argue that the AI bubble is already deflating, if it hasn’t entirely burst. AI tools might be impressive but businesses are discovering they are not without limits: errors, bias, high costs, and even “hallucinations.” The promise (or threat) of AI replacing everything may not hold up long term. Instead, it’s more likely that we will see it settle into a support role. AI is useful, but not all-encompassing. It might help to consider calculators in the classroom: they changed how we figure out a problem, but they didn’t eliminate the need for people who understand math.

Navigating the Shift

Perhaps the healthiest approach is to approach AI as a coworker instead of a competitor. Put forth some effort into discovering how to use AI tools might make you more efficient and valuable in your current role. It comes down to adaptation—much in the same way we have adapted to email, spreadsheets, and smartphones. Take comfort in knowing that humans are remarkably good at adjusting to change. AI might serve as a shake up of the workplace, but it isn’t ready to erase the need for people.