Jobs that AI Could Destroy - But Probably Won't
…When Human Nature Trumps Automation
Within the next decade, AI will replace humans “for most things.” - Bill Gates
A technologically savvy friend of mine recently confided that he has deep concerns for his young child’s future on the grounds that AI will make nearly every skilled profession obsolete within a generation. This was a stark wakeup call for me as a parent as well. My pragmatic brain immediately went to thinking about professions that will and won’t be disrupted by advanced automation.
After starting to make my own list, I decided to ask ChatGPT for a list of 50 job professions that may not exist in 50 years… The responses were a reality check, but not entirely surprising. Within an instant, I received a categorized list of job functions that spanned manufacturing, retail, transportation, healthcare, and education, among others. Some were obvious and we’re already seeing today (e.g. assembly line workers, cashiers, and even taxi and rideshare drivers). Others we don’t see too much evidence for yet today, but it doesn’t take much imagination to detect are on the horizon (e.g. financial analysts, housekeepers, and telemarketers).
To alleviate some of my own concerns about what this could all mean for the workforce of the future, I had to take a step back and remember that there are jobs that automation seems far less likely to replace even looking a century out. Work that absolutely requires human thought and interaction will always be there, at least until we reach the point of “singularity” where robotic thought, action, intuition, creativity, and emotion, are demonstrably superior to that of real humans. At the risk of sounding like a troglodyte, I simply don’t believe the singularity is as “near” as some are predicting. Hey, Wernher von Braun predicted humans could land on Mars by the 1960s, so color me skeptical about some of the predictions about the speed of technology’s advancement….
I went back to ChatGPT for a little reassurance and requested another list of 50 jobs, but this time seeking those that will most likely still be around several generations hence. Responses included creative fields such as arts and entertainment, physical trades such as carpentry and plumbing, trial lawyers, politicians, tour guides, religious clergy, and many others.
However, some of the responses that I received to both queries got me pondering the limits of AI, and where human behavior and psychology simply may not allow the autonomous robot world to take over. As an intellectual exercise, I have been thinking about highly skilled professions where it is pretty clear that AI and robotics “could” overtake humans, but I where I don’t think they “would” overtake humans simply because of human psychology and an innate limit that we have as a species to relinquish all power and critical interactions with fellow members of our species. Here, in no particular order, are ten such professions that I do not see going away, in spite of futurists’ best guesses as to what will soon be possible:
Surgeons… while robots could be trained to remove your spleen, is that what patients truly want?
Psychotherapists… surely automation defeats the point of talking “to a real person”
Nurses… yes, there are tasks of nurses and other hands-on healthcare providers that could be placed in robotic hands, but that will never replace holistic real-time assessments in my estimation
Home aids and assistants… perhaps robots like the maid in the Jetsons could fill in some gaps, but the human touch can never be replaced for elderly and disabled individuals who most need real TLC
Journalists… the ability to ask the right questions at the right moment will always take a human brain and intuition
Judges… questions that go before the court are seldom black and white, and understanding of nuance along with empathy and adaptability are critical
School teachers… yes, AI will transform education, but it will never replace the need for guidance and human interactive instruction
Airline pilots… planes are at a point where they essentially could operate via well programmed computers alone, but who among us would prefer to fly knowing that there are no highly experienced pilots at least watching over our safety at 35,000 feet
Investment advisors… there is no magic formula that addresses every investor’s potential needs, and therefore no intelligent algorithm will displace the benefit of a personal financial planner or advisor
Venture capitalists… ok this one is perhaps self-serving, but I do believe that early-stage startup investing will forever be a relationship-driven business most of all
I am no soothsayer and I certainly have not been augmented with brain implants that help me see into the future. So I could be wrong about anything and everything, but I’d like to understand why I may be wrong. Which occupations do you believe will still be flourishing at the latter end of this century, and which occupations do you see AI and automation as an unstoppable force that will push it on a one-way path to obsolescence?