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The rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) promise to profoundly transform the future of work. According to recent research by McKinsey, by 2030, activities that account for up to 30% of hours currently worked across the U.S. economy could be automated, and 12 million occupational transitions may be needed.
While this raises valid concerns around job losses, the rise of AI also stands to augment human capabilities and create new types of jobs. The challenge and opportunity is to shape AI implementation in ways that enrich work rather than replace human roles.
This article examines the multifaceted impact that AI will have on work, the steps businesses can take to responsibly guide its evolution, and the great potential it has for uplifting the human experience of work.
New Collar Jobs Are the Shape of the Future
Seventy-five percent of Americans believe that AI will negatively affect the U.S. job market, causing a decrease in the total number of jobs over the next 10 years according to a recent Gallup survey. Additionally, an August 2023 joint research paper from OpenAI and the University of Pennsylvania researchers predicted that 80% of the US workforce could have at least 10% of their work tasks affected by generative AI. More unsettling, the study found that 19% of workers could have at least 50% of their duties impacted by the technology. The integration of AI will undoubtedly reshape the workforce, eliminating some roles while also creating new careers uniquely suited to the AI era.
A September 2023 report from Business Insider predicted that the following 10 professions are the most likely to feel the impact of generative AI:
- Tech jobs (programmers, software engineers, data analysts).
- Media jobs (advertising, content creation, technical writing, journalism).
- Legal industry jobs (paralegals, legal assistants).
- Market research analysts.
- Teachers.
- Finance jobs (financial analysts, personal financial advisors).
- Traders.
- Graphic designers.
- Accountants.
- Customer service agents.
At the same time, demand will grow for roles like AI trainers, machine learning engineers, algorithm bias auditors, prompt engineers, robot fleet managers, predictive modelers and AI ethicists. These "new collar" jobs call for adaptability and technical savvy to train AI systems, maximize hardware/software synergy, and continuously improve algorithmic decision-making. Workers in every industry must prepare for emerging opportunities that harness AI's capabilities in partnership with human insight.
In a 2023 McKinsey report on generative AI and how it will affect jobs, McKinsey partner Kweilin Ellingrud projected that the impact of generative AI alone could automate almost 10% of tasks in the U.S. economy. Ellingrud said that although it affects all spectrums of jobs, it is much more concentrated on lower-wage jobs (those that make less than $38,000 a year). According to Ellingrud, if you’re in one of those jobs, you are 14 times more likely to lose your job or need to transition to another occupation.
Additionally, Ellingrud predicted in the report that of the 12 million occupational transitions that are likely going to happen between now and 2030, 80% will occur in four occupations: customer service, food service, production and office support. That gives these workers seven years to upskill for this transition.
A multitude of workers are already reaping the benefits of generative AI. A September 2023 report from Canva revealed that 97% of marketing and creative leaders are comfortable with generative AI, and 75% already consider it to be an essential part of their creative toolkit. Additionally, 83% of those polled have used generative AI to create written content, and 82% have used it to generate unique images or edit images and videos.
Will Allred, co-founder and COO of AI sales coach provider Lavender told Reworked that the AI revolution has come for the white-collar worker first. "Engineers, marketers, and sellers are now capable of doing more with less,” said Allred. “AI has enabled more productive individuals that are able to do the work of many. As a result, white-collar work is moving from doing to managing — from the trenches to the command center."
Related Article: Report Reveals Workers Most 'Exposed' to AI
Education and Upskilling Imperative: Preparing the Workforce
The Canva report also indicated that additional training is needed to bring workers up to speed with generative AI, especially given the exponential growth of new generative AI-based tools brought to market. In fact, 69% of respondents stated there were already too many generative AI tools, and 65% were overwhelmed by the learning curve. Additionally, 54% said that they feel pressured to use generative AI to keep pace with change and 47% indicated that they don’t know how to get the most value out of the technology.
As AI handles an increasing share of routine and analytical tasks, the need for continual workforce upskilling becomes urgent. For workers, priorities include both sharpening technical capabilities to implement AI tools and honing uniquely human skills in communication, innovation, and relationship building. Businesses must play a pivotal role through on-the-job training, upskilling programs, and cultivating cultures of continuous learning. With prudent planning, AI can augment workers rather than displace them.
One of the greatest concerns regarding AI's impact on work is that job displacement may disproportionately affect traditionally disadvantaged groups. For example, the aforementioned McKinsey report revealed that women are about 50% more likely than men to be in roles needing transition. Thankfully, targeted reskilling and upskilling programs can help vulnerable workers adapt.
AI-powered platforms that identify customer service and sales professionals can pinpoint growth areas to build in-demand capabilities, such as data analytics or digital marketing. Guiding workers toward opportunity-rich roles that maximize transferable skills, and providing customized education allows displaced employees to thrive in new positions. Instead of exacerbating inequality, strategic workforce planning and support can ensure AI elevates all talent. The future of work must provide equity in transition.
AI can itself be leveraged for upskilling and educating employees. Aaron J. Green, chief marketing and solutions officer at SAP SuccessFactors told Reworked that people are what drive innovation and enable companies to compete and grow.
“As AI continues to advance, people are still an organization’s greatest asset. When it comes to upskilling and reskilling, learning is not a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Green. “For example, AI can identify the learning preferences and behavioral patterns of neurodivergent employees to create a learning experience that best fits their needs.” Green emphasized that this is just one example of how AI can impact the growth of an employee while also having a meaningful impact on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Related Article: It Could Be 5 Years Before We See Productivity Gains From Generative AI
Industry-Specific AI Applications
While AI broadly transforms business operations and roles, the specific impacts manifest differently across industries. In creative fields, AI acts as a generative design partner; in customer service, chatbots handle routine inquiries to improve human efficiency; in logistics, warehouse robots collaborate with staff to optimize inventory and delivery. Every industry will experience changes — some subtle, others profound. By studying use cases, leaders can anticipate challenges and harness opportunities.
The healthcare industry is particularly well-suited for AI innovation. Karolina Komarnicka, CEO at Space of Mind, an AI-powered group therapy solution for PTSD and trauma, told Reworked that the emergence of AI in mental healthcare can create new jobs across data science, research and patient experience. "In addition, as AI improves diagnostic precision, existing mental health classifications may need re-evaluation, requiring a job function responsible for modifying classifications when AI contributes to these changes,” said Komarnicka. “Such roles will need to have proficiency in AI to understand its impacts and implications on existing healthcare systems."
Komarnicka believes that AI holds the potential to identify patterns and forecast mental health issues in their nascent stages. “Mental health professionals may need to cultivate skills in devising and implementing targeted interventions based on AI-driven insights. As AI takes on routine tasks and data processing responsibilities, mental health professionals can allocate more attention to tasks that demand human expertise,” explained Komarnicka, who added that these tasks encompass nurturing robust therapeutic alliances, providing emotional support and navigating intricate clinical decisions.
Learning Opportunities
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An Irish Roundtable in the Valley: The Economic Impact of AI on the World of Work Stanford 2024
Exploring the Impact of AI On the World of Work with Irish diaspora leaders and tech business champions from the North of Ireland
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May
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Advance Interoperability in Healthcare: How to Navigate Barriers and Improve Clinical Quality Outcomes
Discover how enhancing your interoperability strategy can drive better outcomes for both patients and staff.
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May
21
Navigating the GenAI Era: Skills to Scale and Strategies to Stay Ahead
Join us for an insightful conversation as we delve into the world of Generative AI and its profound impact on the workforce.
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23
Beyond Compliance: Maximizing Efficiency in Healthcare Workforce Management
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Nhon Ma, CEO and founder of Numerade, an education technology company, told Reworked that AI will be useful in education because of its versatility — students, educators and administrators can benefit from AI and its immense number of applications. "For students, AI can enhance the overall learning experience and tailor it to their individual needs,” said Ma. “Educators and administrators can use it to simplify administrative functions, data collection, grading, and a variety of other time-consuming tasks."
Ma suggested that one of the biggest improvements AI will bring is in personalized education. “No two students learn the same way and AI can quickly design a curriculum with unique study plans customized to the individual. Personalized learning isn’t new but it's often difficult for already busy educators to provide due to the significant amount of time spent gathering data for each student and then creating a plan based on those insights,” said Ma, who suggested that AI will likely assist in simplifying administrative tasks and providing teachers more time to offer individualized attention in the classroom.
The Human Element Endures
However capable machines become, certain deeply human talents remain beyond AI's reach. Empathy, imagination, intuition, humor, cultured wisdom — these social, emotional and cognitive skills represent unique value. Work involving complex social interactions, cross-domain creativity or nuanced emotional intelligence will continue to be a primarily human task. Rather than fearing obsolescence, workers should focus on developing capacities computers lack. Navigating ambiguity, building relationships, and innovating hold enduring worth alongside technical excellence.
Related Article: Innovation Can Be Taught. And Measured
Evolution, Not Revolution: AI as a Partner
The emergence of AI need not be a revolution that upends work, but rather an evolution guiding the transformation that is already underway — an automation of the automatable. The greatest benefits will arise when humans collaborate with AI as partners, not competitors.
Workers should view AI as enhancing their toolkits rather than threatening their livelihoods. With prudent governance and training, this symbiosis can unlock human potential. Executives must provide support during periods of transition rather than abandoning displaced workers.
Dennis Perpetua, VP and CTO of Digital Workplace Services at Kyndryl, told Reworked that although there may be fear about AI replacing people, the reality is, as AI continues to become a new economy for employees, to train, manage and interact with, it will open up new worlds. "AI eliminates the busy work associated with getting ideas started, which can lead to greater innovation and higher value work, in a quicker time frame."
Perpetua explained that while AI is the hot technology, data is at the heart of all of these capabilities, which will further open new opportunities for information architecture, data science and other professions to further strengthen IT. “Search engines didn’t replace human roles, they enhanced them, they created jobs and elevated experiences, and AI can do the same.”
The Quest for Meaningful Work
Beyond productivity gains, AI presents an opportunity to reinvigorate meaning and purpose in work. As AI handles tedious tasks, workers can reorient to more rewarding initiatives. Companies should listen to employee desires and redesign roles to emphasize fulfillment. With supportive policies, AI could expand job satisfaction and self-actualization. But realizing this upside requires planning, investment, and maintaining human priorities over efficiency alone. The future should encompass both productivity and purpose.
“We are in an exciting time due to the race around generative AI. Advances are happening quickly, and as compute resources increase, new technologies like quantum become accessible, and more datasets are created, the potential will continue to become unlocked,” said Perpetua. “Today, much of the impact that AI can have in the enterprise requires a lot of traditional IT foundations, such as data management, and workflow orchestration.”
Perpetua predicted that with the introduction of AI, over time, the technology will become more adept at automating data management and creating workflows automatically. “This continues to shift the human value and evolve what experience can be made possible for the customer. AI will continue to drive controls and measurement around experience management and increase the need for sound policies and regulation to ensure it is applied responsibly.”
Nate Berent-Spillson, VP of engineering at Launch by NTT DATA, a global innovator of IT and business services, told Reworked that AI will be disruptive across a wide range of business and technology, but more as a companion and force multiplier than an outright replacement. "Repetitive and manual jobs will be eliminated just as robots replaced people in manufacturing. We've moved more into an information-based society, so the next natural progression is to replace that toil with intelligent automation powered by AI."
Realizing AI's promise requires adapting management approaches and corporate culture. People analytics, personalized learning platforms, AI-driven recruiting, chatbot onboarding, intelligent workflow bots — HR departments will play a leading role in this integration. They must assess team dynamics and structure roles in human-AI partnerships. Promoting transparency and addressing fears around automation facilitates adoption. AI succeeds best not through replacement but augmentation, and HR ensures collaboration triumphs over competition.
Final Thoughts
The integration of AI into the workplace promises immense opportunities to augment human potential. With corporate cultures that are centered on human-AI collaboration, brands can leverage AI to enrich work through enhanced innovation, efficiency and satisfaction. By embracing such change as the evolution of work, and supporting those in transition, the transformative power of AI can uplift the collective experience of work.
