Will AI technology enhance or displace the work that people do? 

Approximately 30% of workers worldwide across multiple sectors express concern that AI could potentially replace them in their current roles. This fear is fueled by the rapid advancement of AI technologies and their rapid integration into the workplace. These concerns are particularly acute in roles involving repetitive routine tasks but also extend to cognitive and non-routine tasks. 

Changing Employment Landscape 

The World Economic Forum projects 170 million new jobs by 2030, alongside potential job displacements of 92 million. This shift is largely due to technological advancements, geographic shifts, and economic pressures.  

Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, predicts that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in industries including law, finance, technology and consulting within five years. In turn, this job elimination could lead to a significant increase in unemployment, potentially reaching 10% to 20%. 

Technological Disruption in Action 

In 2025, there have been about 73,100 tech layoffs across 153 companies in the first half of the year (according to https://layoffs.fyi/). AI adoption is a significant factor leading to these layoffs.  

Workforce Impact by Gender and Sector 

Women are disproportionately affected by AI automation. The potential impact on jobs held by women is 2.5 times greater than on jobs held by men: 3.7% vs. 1.4%, respectively.  This is because women are overrepresented in roles that involve routine, repetitive tasks such as clerical and administrative work. In high-income countries, the disparity is even more pronounced: 7.8% of jobs held by women versus 2.9% of jobs held by men may be impacted. 

Job Transformation 

The good news is that the integration of AI into the workplace may lead to job transformation, rather than elimination. AI tools can augment human capabilities by providing insights, analysis, and support for decision-making. The rising demand for AI skills presents an opportunity to bridge gender gaps in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields. Employers may be more inclined to invest in upskilling and reskilling women, for example, to meet the demand for AI talent. 

Creation of New Job Roles 

More good news is that the development, implementation, and maintenance of AI systems require specialized skills, leading to new job roles like AI engineers, data scientists, and machine learning specialists. Other emerging roles include AI trainers, AI ethicists, and AI safety engineers. AI-assisted creative roles are also emerging, with AI helping to generate variations of content, design visual merchandising, and personalize customer experiences.  

Concluding Thoughts 

AI integration is a transformative force in the job market requiring individuals and organizations to adapt and embrace the opportunities it presents.  Although some jobs may be lost, new jobs will be created, and the overall impact will be a more productive and efficient workforce. While AI can automate tasks, human skills like critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence will remain crucial.