Many predictions about which jobs are at risk or may even disappear. In a well-known article, The Future of Employment, Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne estimated the likelihood of some 700 jobs being extinct because of AI. However, Generative AI is dramatically changing that list. As new types of AI arrive, these predictions will likely change. It is essential to recognise that history does not give at hand that total replacement is likely. It is worth keeping an eye on which jobs to avoid in the future, especially if you are young.
Business Insider published an article about jobs likely to be disrupted by Generative AI, “ChatGPT may be coming for our jobs. Here are the 10 roles that AI is most likely to replace.”
AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Bard could potentially disrupt many jobs, particularly in the white-collar sector, as they can efficiently perform tasks typically done by humans.
List of jobs at risk
According to Insider, the top ten jobs that could be most affected include:
- Tech Jobs: Coders, software developers, data analysts, and related roles may face replacement as AI proves adept at numerical processing and faster coding. However, it’s also suggested that AI could enhance rather than entirely replace these jobs.
- Media Jobs: Roles in advertising, content creation, technical writing, and journalism may be impacted as AI can efficiently read, write, and understand text-based data. Still, the creativity and judgment inherent to these jobs resist full automation.
- Legal Industry Jobs: As AI can handle structured, language-oriented data, paralegals and legal assistants could face disruption. Nevertheless, these roles still require human judgment, which AI lacks.
- Market Research Analysts: These roles are vulnerable to AI as they can analyze data and predict outcomes effectively.
- Teachers: Despite concerns, it’s argued that AI can’t replace the human connection integral to effective teaching.
- Finance Jobs: Financial analysts and personal financial advisors might be affected as AI can identify market trends and forecast investment mixes. Some tasks within these jobs are automatable.
- Traders: Certain Wall Street roles could be automated, allowing workers to focus on higher-value tasks.
- Graphic Designers: AI’s ability to generate images may impact this industry, though it may also aid creativity.
- Accountants: While stable, this profession could be disrupted by AI due to its capability to perform intellectual labour.
- Customer Service Agents: With the rise of chatbots in customer service, these roles may face replacement. A 2022 Gartner study predicts that chatbots will be the primary customer service channel for about 25% of companies by 2027.
While AI’s impact on various professions is undeniable, history suggests that technological advancements often lead to job transformation rather than total eradication. Many roles listed as “at risk” are likely to evolve rather than disappear entirely. For example, while AI can generate code or draft articles, human expertise is still required to refine, verify, and apply these outputs meaningfully.
Moreover, new job opportunities will arise as businesses adapt to AI-driven workflows. Roles in AI oversight, prompt engineering, data ethics, and AI-human collaboration are already emerging. Professionals who learn to work alongside AI rather than resist it will likely find new ways to stay relevant in the evolving job market.
Rather than focusing solely on which jobs may disappear, individuals and businesses should prioritise adaptability, upskilling, and continuous learning. Those who develop critical thinking, creativity, and interpersonal skills—areas where AI still struggles—will remain in demand. The future of work is not just about AI replacing jobs but also about how humans and AI can complement each other to create new possibilities.
Conclusion
Jobs are at risk, but despite these disruptions, experts underline that these tools should be seen as productivity enhancers, not full replacements. Human judgment remains crucial when applying these technologies to avoid error and bias.