The Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution is absolutely here, and with it comes changes to our job landscape and the way we work. AI has already been taking over some jobs. Just look at self-check-out at the grocery store or library. Or the dreaded customer service phone tree from hell, now made even more hellish with AI. (On that note, couldn’t AI compose better music for us to listen to while we are on hold for hours?).
There is a lot of anxiety these days about AI taking over people’s jobs. The fear is absolutely valid given that companies in Silicon Valley and beyond are laying off people in massive numbers due to AI, including Dell, Microsoft and Amazon. Layoffs are not just happening in tech. We are seeing the same trend in diverse industries from aviation to retail and media.
Let’s take a look at previous revolutions to glean some insights that can help prepare us for the AI revolution. Let’s start with the Industrial Revolution, when machines and mass production took over artisan and craftsmen jobs. Labor-intensive jobs such as weavers, coachmen and candlemakers mostly vanished. However, new jobs were created such as factory line workers, foremen, accountants and industrial engineers.
This phenomenon of job attrition and growth is also true of the Digital Revolution, when computing, telecommunications and information processing made it possible to do things online. The jobs that fell by the wayside in this revolution were jobs like typists, switchboard operators, camera film developers and travel agents. But new jobs like software engineers, social media managers and web designers became prolific.
Past work revolutions have specific patterns that will likely apply to the AI revolution confronting us currently. I’ll start with the bad news but then move onto the good news so you can feel empowered even with the changes afoot.
First, the bad news:
Jobs that can be replaced by AI will either disappear or be radically changed (like the candle-maker now being a factory line-worker making light bulbs). Employers will inevitably cut costs by eliminating jobs that AI can do more cheaply.
To understand what impact AI will have on your job, you have to understand the nature of this particular revolution. Previous revolutions involved machines taking over or assisting tasks of a physical and manual nature, such as factory work. The AI revolution that we are experiencing now is of a different nature—AI impacts work that requires human thinking and judgment. AI can do aspects of jobs that require training such as—accountancy, financial planning and software engineering—at a speed and volume that a human could not possibly match.
Jobs that are most and particularly vulnerable to AI are those that heavily involve tasks that are repeatable and predictable. If your job consists of repeatable and predictable skills, such as generating expense reports, you might be in danger of being replaced by AI.
But now, the good news:
I have not one, but several pieces of good news derived from what we know from previous work revolutions:
• New jobs involving AI technology will be on the rise. We are seeing the growth of new job titles such as agentic AI engineer, AI trainer and AI prompt tester.
• New jobs overseeing AI and security will also be in demand, e.g. AI supervisor and AI agent security engineer.
• Existing jobs supporting AI data centers are now heavily in demand, such as data center technicians, HVAC technicians, electricians and plumbers.
• Blue collar trades are safer than white-collar entry level jobs because AI can’t easily be used to repair your roof, install HVAC, plumbing or electrical systems, weld or do masonry.
Any job that might involve human judgement in an unpredictable, chaotic or changing environment will need humans, especially in terms of human safety. Jobs such as paramedic or crisis worker fall in this category.
Over time, as the adaptation to AI technology settles, there will possibly be overall net job growth—but this might take two decades or more (if this particular AI revolution follows the pattern of previous revolutions).
AI is here to stay but there is no need to panic and head for the hills (being a shepherd is probably an AI-safe job though). There are plenty of jobs that will be on the rise with this new technology.
Even if your job is in the AI danger zone, there is a lot that you can do to protect your career. Next article, I will give practical strategies for how you can do this. As the saying goes, the problem can often be the solution and I will show you how to harness AI to protect and even enhance your career.
Anne Chan is a career consultant and licensed California psychotherapist. She specializes in helping people find happiness in their careers and lives. You can reach her at an*********@***il.com. © Anne Chan, 2026
