Which jobs are AI-proof? | Mashable

“AI is going to reshape every industry and every job,” Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, has said. A majority of working Americans are worried about Hoffman’s prediction, according to a recent Pew Research study, with 33 percent using the term “overwhelmed” to describe their feelings on AI and its effect on their future employment prospects.

Jasmine Escalera, PhD, is a career coach who advises recruitment companies like Zety and Bold. Even though Escalera definitely feels the winds of change blowing like a tropical storm, she tells college students and job seekers to plan, not panic.

Escalera acknowledges that many career fields are already being affected by AI, leading to layoffs and the sense that once reliable work is now obsolete. Escalera recently worked with Zety on a list of 14 AI-proof careers that pay over $50K and require one skill that a chatbot cannot offer: Empathy. We spoke with Escalera about why empathy-centered jobs will be so important in the AI economy, the value of college degrees in the 21st century, and how lifesaving gig jobs — like driving an Uber or delivering DoorDash — are at risk.

Microsoft recently released a list of positions with the lowest AI applicability scores, or those unlikely to be affected by AI. Many of those positions don’t require college degrees — should that concern college students?

We just conducted a survey for Zety, the brand that I work for, and we’re seeing a major trend with Gen Z. I happen to be infatuated with Gen Z because they are really changing the scope of career trends. They themselves [are questioning things] and seeing corporate America seems to be over the place; we’re dismantling DEI, we’re going back to the office, work/life balance isn’t what it used to be or what we were hoping it would be; flexibility isn’t there. And AI is transforming the work world, and we’re not sure how it’s really going to change the world. But we do know there are specific positions, those that are highly automated, and have repetitive tasks — which are a lot of starter jobs — and that maybe there’s not going to be opportunities [for them].

We’re also dealing with a very competitive job market with tons of layoffs. That’s really leading to thinking about different types of opportunities, including trade roles that [workers] can get into that seem to be more AI-resistant and allow for more flexibility and opportunity than the typical career path. I think there’s going to be a major shift and major change in the corporate white collar world, and we’re going to see more of a transition into trade jobs where AI simply can’t take over the role, like a plumber.

On Zety’s list of AI-proof jobs, there are medical positions listed, but physician assistants and nurses, not necessarily doctors. Could doctors be replaced or reduced by AI?

When it comes to advisement and diagnoses, AI is already starting to be integrated into the medical field; supporting doctors and even nurses and other practitioners to think through how to better diagnose and even [which] medications to prescribe to patients. I think [AI’s] role there will evolve and I think that’s going to be helpful to that specific field. There’s so much speciality that comes with that medical field at that level, at the doctor level — I can’t imagine [those jobs are] going to be completely taken away, especially because there’s so much human-to-human interaction.

When you go to a doctor’s appointment, who do you typically see first, the nurse or the technician, right? How long do you actually see the doctor? Ten minutes? We were really looking at positions with high degrees of empathy, compassion, and people-to-people engagement, and nurses and technicians actually have more than a typical doctor.

Tell us more about jobs involving empathy and why they may be more AI-resistant.

Empathy is the ability to be compassionate and sympathetic; that relatability factor. If you use ChatGPT, it can be your biggest hype person. But it isn’t necessarily relating to you. It doesn’t have that human-to-human interaction when it needs to give you honest advice or the compassion that a human can give you. So empathy, when it comes to positions and jobs, is going to be what companies, organizations, and roles are going to be gravitating to because AI simply can’t duplicate that. The other thing that companies and even employees should be thinking of is building on that empathy and any other skills that work alongside AI that will not be taken over by AI. Empathy is one of them, critical thinking, high-level strategic thinking [is another]. 

Also, when we talk about empathy, we also need to talk about the relationship-building component of jobs. We’re seeing a lot of customer service agents being taken over by chatbots, but sales positions that are really about relationship-building, those still exist because they’re not answering automated questions, they’re really building relationships with customers. So if you’re someone who’s a customer representative and you’re seeing components of your job disappearing, you really want to shift and think, How can I build a career based more on relationship-building with the skillset that I have? So pivots are going to have to be made.

Marriage and family counselors are on Zety’s list of AI-proof positions. Is that because they have to work with more than one person?

I use ChatGPT for lots of things, including inspiration and good advice. But if you’re talking about relationships — marriage, family, group counseling — those are things that need to be done with a person holding space for that particular group. It’s not something that can be done through AI. So, again, pivots, right? If you’re a one-on-one coach, you might want to start thinking about how can I really pivot so I’m holding space for groups, how can I pivot into a different area where AI is going to be less utilized in that space and continue to still have a position and a role.

Are there any career positions you really worry about in the immediate?

I walk down the street and half the delivery people aren’t people; they’re carts that drive around Miami. So I’m really worried about individuals who have positions that are highly automated and repetitive, and AI can easily slip in and do. Cashiers. We’re seeing this a lot in our grocery stores. Customer Service. I don’t know the last time I talked to a human on the phone when I called customer service. I mentioned the food delivery robots; even frontline restaurant workers, these positions might also disappear, as well.

For everyone, every person, AI is going to affect your job [in] some way. If it hasn’t, down the line, it will. It’s important to think about how your industry and position is going to change. If you’re not sure, that’s ok. But you need to start getting inquisitive. Asking questions of industry leaders, of your boss, of your manager, of what they predict will happen and what you can start to do to make yourself valuable and work alongside the technology is the most important thing. 

Gig jobs that sustain many people — from driving Ubers to delivering DoorDash — seem to be disappearing or on the chopping block. 

I like to chat with Uber drivers because when I was out of a job I drove UberEats for a while, and that was my source of income as I looked for a new opportunity. Many [rideshare drivers] have [other] jobs and this is a secondary source of income. We also did a survey [at Zety] that was really fascinating, and showed that over 70 percent of Americans have to have a second source of income. This is a necessity, because they can’t even pay for basic life necessities with their primary job. 

So, when we think about what you brought up, are we creating an economy now where individuals are really going to be struggling? We know the vast majority of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck; what happens when you take away these opportunities?

For students and job seekers, is there organized guidance on AI coming from guidance counselors and hiring coaches?

I think the education system in the U.S. has not always helped students in the real world. That’s my own personal opinion. As far as now, if they’re helping with this specific skillset [of adapting to AI], and how to build this skillset or find alternatives, I would have to guess this isn’t at the forefront of their curriculum, which is a shame. Now, what I do think is helpful and I’m not saying this is the best option, but Gen Z-ers are getting their information from social media, from TikTok, from Instagram. We know that and a lot of people are talking about these [work] shifts. There are a lot of coaches, a lot of career coaches, a lot of great content creators.

For anyone who is unsure and is a high schooler or college student thinking about coming into the work world soon, make sure you’re following them. Follow people who are giving the right information and take that information to your counselors, to your teachers, to the people you trust. So you might have to be a little more proactive, but think about this: You don’t want to go to college, rack up the debt, and be left with, Now what?

Editor’s note: Some of these quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and grammar.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.