7 Jobs That Won’t Be Taken Over By Robots

• Nursing and teaching are among roles that are indispensable
• Candidates need to research what jobs are AI-proof
• New roles must be created to support and complement AI

Despite widespread fears that artificial intelligence (AI) will steal our work, there are still plenty of jobs out there that will need to be done by humans, a technology expert has claimed. Arran Rice, founder of AltFutures has listed the top seven jobs that can only be performed effectively by a person and won’t be replaced by robots.

These are:

1) Nursing – patients have to be cared for by a compassionate human who understands their needs

2) Teaching – to learn effectively, students require interaction with a person who can explain subjects clearly to them and answer their questions

3) Psychiatry – because a robot has never been human, it doesn’t understand their emotions and feelings as a person does

4) Physical therapy – patients need to be treated by a human, who can feel what and where their problem is and address it accordingly

5) Trade – these specialist jobs require human precision to be done properly

6) Priests – priests need to provide their parish and congregation with faith, compassion and empathy – something that a robot can never do

7) And, of course… AI engineers and scientists – there would be no machines without the people that make them work

Rather than fighting advances in technology, Arran Rice has also called for the creation of new jobs that will both support and complement AI in the future. Just as the world has adapted with, first, the industrial revolution and then the internet, so it will also have to change to meet the needs of the Web 3.0, he said.

Job fears

Concern about AI taking people’s jobs has been around since 1950 when eminent mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turning raised the possibility of creating machines that can think for themselves. One day, it will have the potential to replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time positions, according to research by Goldman Sachs.

As well as reducing employment prospects, for those jobs that continue to exist, employers may decide to cut workers’ wages as there’s greater competition for places. Or they will have to job share.

There’s no doubt that AI can fulfil many of the tasks that humans do – and more cheaply and efficiently too. As scientists and developers continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, the technology has evolved to the point where we now have everything from driverless cars to virtual shopping assistants, and even robot lawyers that can research complex legal cases in just a matter of seconds.

AI-proof roles

But there’s still plenty of essential work that AI can’t do. There’s everything from critical key worker jobs such as doctors and nurses to more niche roles like musicians and actors.

“AI, when used effectively, has the potential to transform business and society as a whole,” said Arran Rice, founder of AltFutures. “But there are many other vital jobs that require a human to do them.

“So if you’re looking to start your career or thinking about a career change, you need to choose a job that can only be performed effectively by a person, where you won’t be replaced by a robot in a few years’ time.”

There are a host of factors people need to take into account when considering the impact AI may have on their job or future career, such as does it involve repetitive manual tasks that can be done by a machine. Typically, these are factory, manufacturing and data entry roles.

Undoubtedly, AI will transform the future of work. But if we’re equipped with the right skills to do the jobs that don’t use it or can do those roles that enable its development, it puts the workforce in a much stronger position moving forward.