Which Jobs Are AI Proof in the Future?

If you find yourself wondering about the possibility of robots taking over your job in the future, best believe you’re not the only one who’s worried. With rapid developments in artificial intelligence and robotics, the stage is being set for the replacement of millions of jobs by machines, and over the next few decades several people – such as taxi drivers, cashiers, bookkeeping clerks, mortgage brokers etc.are likely to be out of jobs.

According to research evidence from the Brookfield Institute, up to 42% of the Canadian workforce is at risk of being roughly hit by automation within the next two decades and this would be similar for all countries. Lots of people have compared the ripple effects of AI to be as vast as the impact of electricity on human life, expecting that as electricity led to the slow but sure death of several traditional jobs, AI would also kill a lot of jobs within the next 20-50 years. However, not all jobs will be affected.

Jobs of the Future

Traditional/Blue Collar Jobs

It’s surprising to find traditional and some blue collar jobs on the list of jobs predicted to survive this robotic invasion. But here’s why: since these jobs have been around for as long as a couple hundred years, surviving lots of developments and changes to the world’s landscape over these periods, they are predicted to survive the next AI invasion. Such jobs include barbering, plumbing, gardeners and nursing.

Unionized Jobs

For jobs which rely on certain forms of unions or professional associations, their life span may be lengthened. However, lots of them will still go into extinction, a good example of which is real estate agents. Despite the unions trying to protect these jobs, they won’t exist in the next three decades. At this point, best mortgage rates are available online and the entire process of getting a mortgage would have become completely automated, thus eradicating the need for a middle man i.e. the mortgage broker. It is the same story for real estate agents but still the transparent and honest real estate agents would definitely survive longer.

Same goes for goes for medical doctors who are mainly involved in the diagnostic process, as the Artificial Intelligence system is being developed to capture accurate diagnoses; far above the levels to which humans can attain. As such, there would be significantly limited need for such professionals.

The AI robot who excellently and painstakingly answers all questions and addresses all of a student’s concerns would also readily replace the classroom teacher!

Jobs Requiring Empathy and High Communication Skills

There are a couple of areas in which as yet, robots are highly unskilled. Some of these jobs include those which require a heightened sense of empathy and excellent communication skills. As AI is unable to convincingly convey emotion yet, family lawyers, corporate lawyers, psychologists, human resource personnel are safe in terms of their job options. As well, some other highly skilled workers like surgeons, advanced machine learning operators, data analysts and other workers in the IT industry are also relatively safe.

Jobs in Danger

Jobs That Estimate Specific Values

Any job which tries to estimate specific values; from actuaries to property appraisal are very likely to be in danger. As a matter of fact, AI home valuation systems are already doing well on the market, such as the Wowa property tax estimator or Zillow Zestimate. Within the next decade, these jobs would have become more automated!

Jobs Carrying Out Simple Data Analysis

As complex and deep learning algorithms are continually developed, the future is bleak for those machine learning jobs that only carry out simple data analysis. This is because learning algorithms are by themselves churning out even smarter algorithms, therefore to keep up with the trend and stay relevant, a data analyst has to up his or her game!

Conclusion

The jobs of the future would require a lot more emotional intelligence, creativity and strategy- features which are harder to incorporate into robots and other Artificial Intelligence machines. Staying relevant would mean that we develop these soft skills and stay abreast of crucial information in different industries. Will AI run the world? Only time can tell.