Who is at risk of massive job losses caused by the AI revolution: blue-collar workers or white-collar workers?
Most experts agree that artificial intelligence will completely upend the American workforce (there are already signs that this is the case in the tech industry).
But there are conflicting reports about who is most at risk, low-wage workers or middle managers.
A report from the think tank McKinsey Global estimates that Americans with the lowest salaries are up to 14 times more likely to be replaced by those with the highest salaries.
But another JP Morgan report predicts a “large-scale realignment of white-collar jobs” this decade.
DailyMail.com spoke to six top experts about cutting through the noise.
Attention, middle managers
Artificial intelligence will come first for repetitive tasks, but will evolve to replace middle management, and even knowledge-based professions like law and accounting, warned John Warner, founder of Innoventure.
Warner said: “Human jobs involving repetitive, predictable tasks that can be automated are high risk, including assembly line work, basic data entry and some aspects of accounting.
“Jobs based on a checklist or input boxes on a screen are not long for this world, including telemarketers, travel agents, bank tellers, tellers and loan managers. »
Financial analysts and insurers are also at risk, as is any job involving large amounts of calculations, due to AI’s ability to analyze data and access stored knowledge, Warner warned.
John Warner, founder of Innoventure
Warner said: “Many knowledge worker jobs are under threat from AI.
“Most middle management jobs accept feedback in one form, handle it, and deliver it in another form.
“Automation does this more efficiently. This will not stop at middle management.
“Sophisticated AI will perform the analysis that will replace professional jobs in engineering, law, accounting and other knowledge professions.”
Office and accounting roles
Clerical and accounting roles will see a sharp decline due to the automation of data entry and basic reporting, warns Martin Mulyadi, Ph.D., professor of accounting at the Shenandoah University School of Business.
Martin Mulyadi, Ph.D., professor of accounting at Shenandoah University School of Business
Mulyadi said: “The roles most affected are probably those that can be systematized or involve repeated tasks.
“For example, AI is expected to lead to a sharp decline in many office workstations.
“It’s critical to remember that while AI may reduce the need for certain jobs, it also opens up new possibilities.”
“I would expect employment in data science and analytics, AI and machine learning to grow rapidly.
“In my field of accounting, I see a demand for accountants who understand that they are expected to be in demand. »
Call centers “gone in five years”
Call centers will all but disappear within five years, predicts Piers Linney, founder of Implement AI.
Linney told DailyMail.com: “Generative AI will increase productivity as the human workforce increases and technology becomes, over time, more capable of taking on tasks. This means fewer employees will be needed.
Piers Linney, investor and business expert
“For example, call centers will be almost completely automated within five years.
“However, it is a mistake to assume that only low-skilled workers will be affected, as reducing the need for expensive knowledge workers represents a significant saving.
“Over the next decade, we will need to rethink our education, economic, social security and tax systems. »
Customer service in the crosshairs
Any work involving repetitive, predictable tasks could potentially be automated by AI, warned Bernard Marr, author of “Generative AI in Practice.”
Bernard Marr, author of “Generative AI in Practice”.
Marr said: “AI is poised to replace jobs that involve repetitive, predictable tasks across a range of industries, including manufacturing, data entry and basic customer service roles.
“However, this does not mean disaster; instead, it signals a shift toward jobs that require human empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking.
But coders can rest easy, says Marr.
Marr said: “As far as programmers are concerned, the fear that AI will replace them is largely unfounded.
“While AI can and is used to automate some coding tasks and even write basic code, the role of the programmer is evolving rather than diminishing.
“Programmers are needed to design, supervise and refine AI systems, and their expertise is crucial to solving complex problems, innovating and ensuring that AI applications align with ethical standards and human needs.
“The future sees programmers working alongside AI, using it as a tool to improve productivity and creativity.”
Paralegals and researchers beware
Jobs that involve retrieving and condensing information will be at risk, according to Nathaniel Whittemore, founder of Superintelligent, an AI learning platform.
Whittemore says: “Skills (and especially tasks) are much more likely to disappear from AI than jobs.
“Jobs will evolve to involve different combinations of skills and tasks as certain things disappear from AI.
“Difficulty skills/tasks: Anything that involves very basic information searching or retrieval – which can range from low-level customer service to paralegals. Anything that involves summarizing and condensing other information.
“However, some complex issues will require human attention, and the skills required to manage these experiences will be human interface skills.”
“There may be fewer people employed for these high-level challenges, but they will be more valued and better rewarded because of a new perception of the importance of their skills.”
Writers and analysts
A 2023 scientific paper reveals that mathematicians, financial analysts and writers are most at risk of being replaced by AI, said Thomas Roulet, professor of organizational sociology and leadership at the University of Cambridge.
Roulet added: “This is both a difficult and well-researched question! I’m sure you’ll have many answers to this question, but the most reliable source is this 2023 article.
“It identifies mathematicians, accountants, financial analysts, writers, journalists and financial analysts as most at risk of being replaced by AI.”
“The truth is that these professions will adapt rather than die – people will consume information, financial analysis or consultant reports in a different way, knowing that AI helped produce them.”
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