As AI advances at breakneck speed, will it replace human jobs—or create new ones? Writer Patrissia explores how AI is reshaping industries, from automating roles like cashiers and cleaners to enhancing jobs that require creativity, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving.
With millions of jobs set to be displaced—but even more created—is AI a threat or an opportunity?
By Patrissia L.
AI is a rapidly developing topic, with giants such as OpenAI, ChatGPT, and Deepseek making AI assistant chats ubiquitous. Knowing this, one question comes to mind.
Will AI take over jobs in the future, and to what extent?
The most straightforward answer is yes, to a degree, it will.
AI will likely negate the need for certain jobs such as cashiers, waiters, and cleaners. However, there will be multiple jobs AI will be unable to replace, such as those that require deep human interaction, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and creativity.
With this thinking, it is easy to say that jobs will not disappear; on the contrary, they will evolve, potentially into something unimaginably fascinating.
One particular aspect that raises concern is the precise figures regarding job loss due to AI. An article written on Innopharma Education quotes a report by The World Economic Forum that says "by 2025, AI will have displaced 75 million jobs globally, but will have created 133 million new jobs. This means that there will be a net gain of 58 million jobs globally, but there will still be significant job displacement in certain industries."
Currently, the workforce worldwide is still adjusting to an AI-assisted working environment. A Pew Research Centre paper finds that 1 in 6 workers in the US use AI actively in their jobs. Additionally, 63% rarely or never use AI, and 17% are unaware of AI's presence in their workplace. This means that AI still has quite a long way to go until it can replace some jobs fully and have correct supervision by experienced AI users.
This being said, the younger generation is already in close cooperation with AI, such as the use of ChatGPT as an academic assistant, this means that when it is their turn to come into the workplace, they will already have a vast experience in cooperation with AI. This background will make the future workforce more efficient in AI cooperation, due to less to no time being spent on familiarising themselves with the use of AI.
In conclusion, it is impossible for AI to replace all jobs, but it is true that some will be occupied by AI, and some will be created due to AI’s presence.
By Patrissia L.
We recommend this great TED talk by tech pioneer Rutika Mchhala on the subject.