Careers That Are Safe From AI

Is AI a help or a hindrance? The answer is, it depends on who you are asking. Take a graphic designer for example, they may tell you that AI tools have gone from assisting them to taking their job. However, speak to someone in the medical field, and the fear of AI taking over their profession doesn’t really exist. After all, a computer algorithm can’t perform life-saving brain surgery on a human — or at least not yet!

In this article, we’re going to highlight a few career paths that are safe from AI for now. Given the way the world is heading, young people may want to consider following the careers below to protect themselves against AI.

Human-Centered Professions

The big difference between humans and AI is feelings. AI can’t feel empathy, show awareness and so on. For some careers, this is essential. In the case of a business coach, this helps to build a relationship with clients. While both humans and AI can offer advice around business decisions, only one will be able to build a deep relationship, capable of adapting to certain scenarios and circumstances.

Other professions, such as a teacher, therapist, or negotiator, need to use emotions to tailor their approach depending on the person they are interacting with. A teacher can’t teach every pupil the same way, for example, and they may need to change their approach from one person to the next. 

Creative Fields

There’s a big discussion raging on in creative industries about the use of AI. Tools are definitely aiding creators, but some people believe AI skills have become so advanced that they are outperforming humans. 

Ultimately, it comes down to how much human brainpower is involved in the role. AI is great for generating content, whether that be a script, an image or a video. But the strategic side of the creative industry relies more on human thinking. For example, a marketing strategist may be able to delegate tasks to AI, but it would be very difficult for AI to lead the overall strategy. 

Skilled Trades 

While robotics have disrupted manufacturing processes, we are still a long way away from AI replacing certain skills. Tradespeople have a very specific skillset, and it would be very difficult for plumbers, mechanics and electricians to be replaced. While tradespeople may be assisted by AI in terms of planning, measuring, and so on, a human will always have to be involved in such processes to guarantee both quality and safety.

Read: Invisible Tech: The Future of Audio and Video at Home

Leadership & Governance

We’ve spoken about how feelings separate humans and artificial intelligence, and feelings play an important role in leadership. As a result, leadership roles will always be better suited to humans than AI. Given the developments of AI, it isn’t unimaginable to envision a world where we are governed by an AI-shaped leader, but how would AI be able to handle unexpected situations and crises?

For those who are well-suited to leadership roles, jobs in politics can be considered safe and free from AI disruption. Ironically, humans may be needed to write legislation around how AI can be used going forward, with more unethical use cases emerging all the time.

Jobs Involving Human Touch

Consider processes that involve physical touch with another human being, and then consider the jobs that are involved in these processes. It could be as simple as getting a haircut or as advanced as undergoing surgery; these processes simply cannot be performed without a human being. Again, robotics and AI may become more widely used in the future for these types of tasks, but a human would still need to oversee the process.

There’s also a wide range of jobs that don’t require human touch, but do require some form of human interaction. A chef for example doesn’t need to physically touch guests, but they do need to physically touch the food they are eating. Likewise, a tour guide needs to interact in terms of verbal information and a personal trainer will need to interact via physical demonstrations.

Final Thoughts

If you are a young person currently weighing up different career paths, you don’t have to exclusively consider careers that are free from being taken over by AI. However, it is becoming a bigger consideration, if not a fear, and it’s easy to see why. Creators are starting to be replaced by AI, but at this point, high-level creators are still able to produce a better standard of work. Whether this remains true in the next 10, 15 or 20 years remains to be seen. 

If you do want to go down the road of pursuing careers that aren’t going to be taken over by AI, you still have a ton of options. Anything health related or involving physical touch is your best bet; after all, the chances of AI being capable of carrying out a breast reduction or unblocking a toilet are virtually none!