5 Jobs That Appear to be Safe from AI and Robots

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IntelligentHQ
5 Jobs That Appear to be Safe from AI and Robots

For years, we’ve read headline after headline suggesting robots will eventually be able to perform many of the tasks we do on an everyday basis. Unfortunately, for some people, this may include their actual day-to-day jobs.

According to The Guardian, the jobs that appear to be most at-risk for a robotic or artificial intelligence takeover include those that are, on some level, routine, repetitive and predictable. For example, fast-food cooks may one day be replaced by robots like Flippy, an AI-driven kitchen assistant that flips burgers at a CaliBurger restaurant in Pasadena, California.

While you might be concerned robots and AI may eventually replace human beings altogether in workplaces around the globe, experts say that won’t necessarily be the case. In fact, a large number of jobs appear to be robot-proof, including the following five examples:

1. Call Center Agents

If you’ve ever called a customer support line, then you no doubt have had a “conversation” with a chatbot. But while automated and self-service options are being adopted by and appear to be more en vogue for major U.S. retailers, the staffing of live call center agents is expected to always be a necessity. 

Because while consumers are typically satisfied with using automated prompts and a chatbot for routine support requests, many still prefer interacting with an actual human being on the other end of the phone when they want to raise complicated or complex questions.

Indeed, like many other automated processes, chatbots aren’t expected to completely take over day-to-day call contact center operations, but rather complement existing efforts made by live support reps to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

2. STEM-Related Jobs

Here’s something interesting to consider: As automation becomes more common — and certain jobs are able to be performed by robots and/or AI — the employers of tomorrow will need more engineers, technicians and managers than ever before to build and maintain these AI-enhanced robots. 

In other words, companies won’t be able to simply bring a robot on board and let it perform work ad infinitum; rather, like any other technology, the robot will require ongoing repairs and maintenance — and experts knowledgeable in all-things AI and robots will be needed to perform similar work and help reboot these devices for optimum performance.

Along those same lines, jobs in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) will be especially essential in the future, in part because the employees who hold these jobs will be the very people helping to build, maintain and make repairs to their robotic colleagues.

3. Jobs Requiring High EQ

Robots may be able to successfully flip a burger, but they certainly lack key human attributes like empathy and understanding. In fact,  jobs requiring high levels of emotional intelligence, or EQ — this includes, for example, nurses, doctors, therapists and teachers — will likely be spared from robots and other similar automation processes.

In other words, if your job requires you to create and maintain relationships and develop an acute understanding of other people, then your profession is probably safe from a robotic takeover.

4. Creative Professions

Even the most advanced robots will never be able to produce beautiful paintings like Monet or Renoir, or compose music like Beethoven or Chopin. While computers are technically capable of painting, human beings are still much better at creativity. Additionally, for those interested in pursuing a career as an art curator, experts say this profession has a less than 1 percent chance of becoming automated. Because making sense of art is so subjective and curators use their wealth of knowledge to curate large-scale art exhibits, it’s highly unlikely an algorithm or robot could really nail it.  

5. Preschool and Elementary School Teachers

Unless we want to turn our kiddos into minicomputers, robots cannot be teaching and training them. While a robot could technically show young children how to add and subtract, could it also handle performing so many of the other non-academic tasks and responsibilities that most teachers of young children handle on a daily basis?

For example, can you picture a robot comforting a crying 6-year-old who scraped their knee on the playground or reassure a distressed 4-year-old who got grape juice in their lunch instead of milk? And because teachers of young adults also teach and help them to act like responsible human beings, they’ll no doubt need a fellow human being to show them the ropes.

Ultimately, AI and Robots May Actually Inspire New Jobs

While robots and AI technology have come a long way, they are not poised to take over all of our jobs. So rather than worry about your job being eliminated, it might be best to consider what new professions this technology might create.

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