Artificial intelligence and machine learning are advancing at an incredible rate. As AI capabilities continue to grow, certain types of human jobs may be at risk of automation. In this blog, we will explore 14 industries and job roles that are most likely to be impacted by advances in AI over the coming decade. While AI will certainly eliminate some roles, it will also create new job opportunities – so the impacts will not be entirely negative.
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Let’s take a look at what industry is in danger due to AI.
1. Accounting & Bookkeeping
Accounting is another white-collar profession significantly impacted by AI. Routine bookkeeping, data entry, payroll processing, account reconciliation, and basic financial statement preparation tasks are increasingly being automated using tools like robotic process automation (RPA). Even skilled roles like junior accountants, bookkeepers, and payroll clerks face threats of redundancy. While chartered accountants and those with specialized domain knowledge should be safe from full replacement, their work, too, is being augmented by AI. Overall, standardized accounting roles are among those at high risk of displacement due to AI-based automation.
2. Customer Service
An area that may see large job losses due to AI is customer service. Many routine customer service tasks like answering basic questions over the phone, online, or via chatbots are already being handled by AI chatbots and virtual assistants. As natural language processing capabilities improve, AI can take on more complex customer service tasks from humans. Roles like call center agents, customer support representatives, and help desk technicians face threats of automation as AI makes inroads into customer service. However, AI may also create new customer-facing roles to develop and manage virtual customer experiences.
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3. Legal Services
In legal services, AI is automating standardized documentation work and aiding research through tools like contract reviewers, litigation analytics, and legal question-answering chatbots. As these tools scale, roles like paralegals, legal secretaries, and compliance officers involved in routine documentation and research could face redundancies. Early case assessment, e-discovery, and document management are also ripe for AI automation. However, jobs requiring complex strategic thinking, negotiations, and judgment based on human interactions, like trial lawyers, should remain safe from full AI replacement for now. Overall, roles dominated by repetitive procedural tasks face higher risks due to legal AI.
4. Financial Services
Do you think financial services is one of those industries that may fit into our answering our question of what industry is in danger due to AI?
Well, the truth is…
Within financial services, AI capabilities in analytics, risk assessment, process automation, and virtual assistance tend to reduce reliance on human labor. Roles in areas like data entry, customer support, basic underwriting, and account management are facing threats of automation or augmentation. AI is also enhancing roles like wealth managers, traders, and financial advisors by augmenting their insights. Back-office roles involved in mundane processing tasks are at higher risk. However, jobs requiring human judgment, strategy-making, client relationships, and complex problem-solving will continue requiring human skills, even with AI.
5. Office & Administrative Support
Clerical support jobs have long been vulnerable to automation, and AI looks set to displace many more roles in areas like data entry, bookkeeping, and administrative assistance. Capabilities in computer vision, NLP, and robotic process automation enable AI and robots to handle routine paperwork processing, data organization, bookkeeping, and record-keeping tasks more efficiently than humans. As such, roles like receptionists, payroll clerks, administrative assistants, and secretaries are at a growing risk of redundancy due to advances in AI automation. New AI-based tools are also enhancing the productivity of office workers, allowing fewer employees to handle larger workloads.
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6. Arts & Media
Creativity was long considered immune from automation – but AI is finding its way even into artistic fields. Computer-generated artwork, writing, editing, music, and video are reducing demand for roles like graphic designers, physical artists, journalists, and video/audio editors focused on routine production work. AI captioning and recommendations also threaten roles like video/TV bloggers and photography assistants focused on standardized documentation tasks. However, jobs centered around originality, human connections, and creative problem-solving should remain safe from full automation.
7. Software Development
The very technologies displacing roles are also creating new kinds of jobs, even in their development industries. For software, AI automates programming tasks through bots for coding, testing, and maintenance. This threatens routine roles like quality analysts, front-end developers, and back-end engineers focused on standardized programming work. But it also increases demand for AI engineers, machine learning specialists, UX researchers, and higher-level roles focused on complex problem-solving at the frontier of these technologies. So, software jobs are disrupted but also augmented through human-AI collaboration.
8. Manufacturing
Let’s analyze the role of AI in the manufacturing industry to answer the question,
On factory floors, industrial robots powered by AI and machine learning are replacing human workers for an increasing number of manual and repetitive production line tasks like assembly, packaging, quality control testing, etc. Advanced robotics are already leading to job losses for roles like production assistants and machine operators in many manufacturing sectors like automotive, electronics, food processing, plastics, etc. As robotics systems take on more complex tasks, even skilled trade roles like welders, machinists, and technicians could become redundant in the long run. Overall, advances in industrial automation place many manufacturing jobs at high risk due to AI.
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9. Education
Educational technology powered by AI is enhancing learning and productivity in schools and universities. Intelligent tutoring systems personalize learning and assess student comprehension more effectively than human teachers alone. Online learning platforms are also enabling fewer administrators and faculty to handle more learners. Roles like proctors, teaching assistants, and administrators involved in routine instruction and assessment could face redundancies. AI may automate the grading of assignments and the replication of standardized teaching content. However, human teachers will still be needed for their interpersonal, guidance, and real-world application skills, which AI cannot match.
10. Retail
Physical retail has already been significantly impacted by e-commerce, and AI is poised to displace even more retail jobs. Computer vision has enabled the automation of tasks like shelf monitoring, inventory management, and markdown optimization. Automated checkouts via apps, self-service kiosks, and computer vision are cutting down the need for human cashiers. As AI improves, roles like shelf-stockers, sales assistants, and cashiers could be under threat in both online and physical retail stores. Even specialized retail roles like beauticians/aestheticians may face risks due to AI-based automation. However, AI may also help upskill and repurpose some retail workers for enhanced customer service jobs.
11. Healthcare
To answer the often-raised question,
Artificial intelligence is making inroads into the healthcare industry through applications in diagnostics, virtual nursing assistants, personalized treatment analysis, and more. While AI will support doctors and nurses, certain clinical and administrative roles face risks as well. Medical administrative assistants, medical coders, and medical transcriptionists could see their work partially or fully automated as AI bots take over routine paperwork processing. AI also has the potential to replace roles like radiologists, pharmacists, and some routine tasks of nurses over the long term. However, directly treating and caring for patients will still require human skills, empathy, and judgment.
12. Food Service
The food service industry relies heavily on human labor for tasks like food preparation, cooking, serving, cashier work, etc. AI is now making inroads into these roles through concepts like food prep robots, robotic wait staff, and automated kiosks. While human chefs and cooks are not fully replaceable yet, roles like fast food workers, cashiers, and side-work staff face growing threats of displacement from AI and robotics. Advances in computer vision, grasping, and mobility are enabling robots to take on more manual food service jobs in the coming years. Automated warehouses and delivery vehicles are also reducing on-site labor needs.
13. Military
Artificial intelligence is enabling autonomous weapons that can select and engage targets without human intervention. This impacts the roles of soldiers involved in routine surveillance, transport, logistic support, and combat through concepts like drone swarms, robotic infantry, and autonomous tanks. However, directly commanding forces, strategic decision-making, and handling unpredictable situations still require human judgment. Overall, support roles will face higher risks than leadership positions due to AI in defense. The ethical use of autonomous weapons will also require human oversight and regulation.
14. Transportation
One of the industries facing the most disruption from AI is transportation. Driver jobs like long-haul truck drivers, taxi drivers, and chauffeurs are at high risk of automation as self-driving vehicle technologies advance. It is estimated that over 3 million long-haul truck driving jobs in the US alone could be replaced by driverless trucks in the next 10-15 years. Self-driving taxis and shuttle buses may reduce the demand for human drivers in this industry. Advancements in AI and robotics are also enabling more autonomous vehicles in other transport sectors like shipping.
The Bottom Line
While AI is automating many roles, it is also likely to create new kinds of jobs that have not even been imagined yet. Overall job losses may be offset by employment gains in new AI engineering and specialist roles that leverage both human and machine capabilities. The main impacts will be changes to the skills required rather than net job losses. Through reskilling and lifelong learning, workers can adapt to thrive alongside AI. With proactive policy measures, industries and companies can ensure a just transition to a future of work with AI. We hope this blog helped you analyze the intricacies of each industry and answer the question, “What industry is in danger due to AI?”
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