Jobs That Can't Be Taken Away by Robots
Published by Maaz at Turtleback on Mar 29th 2021
“I believe [AI] is going to change the world more than anything in the history of mankind. More than electricity,” Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Chinese venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures.
Like any revolution, AI will create and replace many jobs. But people are more concerned about the jobs it will replace. It is a valid concern because according to Lee’s prediction, 40 percent of jobs in the world will become “displaceable” by technology.
But people mostly don’t talk about the jobs that AI won’t replace. That’s why we have chosen this unique yet important topic. We’ll discuss the fields AI can’t have an impact on. So even if you are not related to these fields, you may want to consider learning about them. They can help you gain a competitive advantage.
Jobs That AI Will Not Replace
AI is getting stronger with time. And media is playing its role in talking about it (and sometimes, scaring people). That’s why more and more people are saying, “will robots take my job?”
Although there are some fields that AI will impact, the following jobs will not be taken by robots:
1. Human Resources Managers
Why can’t it be replaced by AI? Because companies always need humans to plan, coordinate, and direct the administrative functions of their organization. These professionals have non-cognitive and reasoning skills that a robot does not possess.
The data says that this field is likely to grow 9% by 2024. So if you are related to HR, you don’t have to worry.
2. HVAC Professionals
In traditional manufacturing, we have seen a decline in jobs. But robots will most-likely not replace HVAC jobs because they require workers to have specialized training and exceptional problem-solving skills.
It’s hard to imagine robots going through rooms, attics, and crawl spaces to make actual repairs. Would a robot be able to set up a ladder and repair an air handler? Even for a second if we think that a robot can detect a few problems, a person will be making the final repairs.
3. Sales Managers
Sales managers know how to hit targets on monthly basis. They have a high level of emotional intelligence to interact with customers. A part of their job is also related to encouraging their sales team. All of these things make their jobs safe from AI.
4. Plumbers
This is one of those skilled-trades that are robot-proof. This job requires a good amount of physical activity. But why can’t it replaced by robots? Because of the unpredictable nature of this job and the lack of dexterity in robots. While human plumbers know how to work in unpredictable environments and their hands have fine motor skills to get the job done.
5. Marketing managers
It’s another job category that is related to sales. Monitoring trends, analyzing data, and creating content that matters to the audience are a few tasks related to this job. Marketing managers also have to constantly adapt to changes according to the company’s and market’s needs.
6. Public Relations Managers
AI is not ready to replicate this human-forward career. This field is expected to grow 7% by 2024. As this job category requires a lot of networking and contacts, it’s not going to be replaced by AI.
PR managers work with other companies to get press placements. Sometimes, these professionals have to work with a serious issue that require more human touch. That’s why, this kind of job is not possible for robots.
7. CEOs
Leaders of companies require specialized skills. The attempt to automate leadership will fail miserably.
Leading companies through hard times, representing company’s mission on every platform, and keeping the team motivated are a few responsibilities of chief executives. Plus, dealing with investors and the board of directors are a few tasks that we can’t expect robots to perform.
8. Electricians
It’s another job whose unpredictable nature makes it less prone to automation. Like HVAC contractors, this job will probably be robot proof. Imagine a robot finding the right connection from a mess of live wires! Only a human can do that.
9. Event Planners
A robot is most likely to fail at event planning. If you have ever managed an event, you’d know how much organizational and people skills it involves. Talking to vendors and contractors is just one of its many moving parts. No wonder why event planning is a growing field.
10. Writers
Creativity is the bread and butter of writers. And robots don’t have it. Any writer would be relieved to hear that their job is safe.
And why wouldn’t it be? From brainstorming ideas to crafting original content, this job requires a lot of creativity. There have been some attempts online to automate this job, but those attempts failed. Why? Because when you put content into those article rewriters, you get simple garbage that no human wants to read.
Although AI can help with titles and social media messages, we will see writers creating other types of online content in the foreseeable future.
11. Graphic Designers
We were talking about the creative fields, here’s is another one. There have been attempts to automate this field as well, but they are not successful.
Clients can be picky when it comes to their company’s graphic design. And only a human can understand their needs. So it is far less likely for automation to overcome this field.
12. Software Developers
These people power the modern techworld. Plus, the robots are dependent on the lines of code they write.
There’s a reason why many people find software engineering difficult. It requires a lot of skill investment and patience to create apps and websites. If you have any friend who’s related to programming, ask them how difficult it can be. If there is one error in the code, it can take several hours to fix it sometimes. This field is expected to grow at a staggering rate of 19% by 2024.
13. Contractors
We saw a labor shortage during the Great Recession, and haven’t recovered from it yet. Older generations are retiring and most young people are not entering this field which makes more opportunities in this field. Plus, technology has always found it hard to enter this field. Let’s see how robots will dare to do it.
14. Editors
We talked about the importance of writers previously. Like writers, editors will keep working in the future. There have been attempts at automating the editing process (for example, the Hemingway app), but companies will keep hiring editors in the foreseeable future.
As a human is going to read the final work of a writer, the editor must be a human.
Navigating AI
Everyone including business owners and employees should know about the future impact of AI on jobs. Knowing about the current landscape will help in making the right decisions as well.
For now, companies are mostly using AI for generic situations. This includes personalization in marketing as well as the selection of the right content for the audience. Some people are using it for email marketing where it helps with the time people open emails. According to Mike Lieberman, CEO and Chief Revenue Scientists at Square 2, AI will also help with guidance and recommendations from marketing agencies.
AI is producing better results in many areas like these. And this is how smart marketing using AI should be done.
Consultants help companies with what to do and when to do it. But soon, we’ll witness AI helping with these recommendations. Marketers will get advice from AI software based on their goals which will improve their performance significantly.
However, AI can’t replace the jobs where you require emotional intelligence, strategic qualities, and problem-solving skills. Especially, if we talk about the immediate future. We can’t trust robots for understanding situations like human nature and making decisions. Robots and computers will help us with efficiency, but human attributes will still be respected.
Our focus should be to help people find meaningful work while still improving machines for appropriate interaction.
That leads us to the question:
How to secure your career?
Robots will overcome repetitive and time-consuming tasks. But they will find it hard to replace human emotions and behaviors.
You can witness it from everyday marketing scenarios. For example, when facing a problem, many customers will like to talk to human customer service reps instead of talking to a chatbot.
Leadership and managerial roles will not be taken by robots. And the same goes for creative jobs. Do you expect a robot to come up with the idea for the “Share A Coke” Campaign?
You won’t suffer if you are related to:
- Creative jobs.
- Complex and strategic jobs.
- Empathetic jobs.
- The jobs that are necessary to monitor AI (or as-yet-unknown jobs).
Although the pop-culture has shown AI as an out-of-control freak, it’s very hard to come up with robots that can create something new. It is the job of the government and companies that gets the most benefit from AI to educate people about automation and to help those affected by AI.
The best strategy against robots is to find and work on skills and qualities that can’t be replaced by AI. For this, you should work with a professional.
Final Words On Jobs That Won’t Be Replaced By AI
A lot of research has been conducted on the topic of AI and job replacement. Although the jobs discussed in this article are a result of extensive research, everything can not be 100% certain.
So whether your job is on the list or not, you should consult with experts. Base your career decisions on expert advice only.
This will prevent you from pancaking about your job. The experts will also guide you about the skills needed if your job is likely to be replaced by AI.
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References:
5. Michael Chui, McKinsey Digital