#1
#2
The only threat is horribly long hours and being underpaid. Also being hated by construction companies and other corporations.
#3
Well, in recent years, speculation about which jobs AI will destroy and which it will graciously preserve has become very popular. And this is not idle speculation at all - for example, a few months ago, a simple, albeit quite convincing, modeling of future scenarios in which AGI (artificial general intelligence) emerges by 2027, and a global crisis begins by the end of the decade, impacted global stock markets.
#4
If things keep going like this, I might end up making cakes and bread for a living again.
#5
#6
At maximum the AI would make my job safer.
Yeah like hell an oil company would waste money on something like that ahahah.
On the other hand, even the most convincing expert studies sometimes significantly underestimate reality. Just two years ago, The Economist published a major study on the prospects of AI in programming and predicted that AI would be unlikely to replace software developers, and “certainly not in the near future.”
The Economist article was published in September 2024, and just a couple of months later, Anthropic released the Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 models. Around the same time, OpenAI co-founder Andriy Karpathy coined the term “vibe coding,” which almost completely changed the software development paradigm.
#7
Law is an extremely conservative (not political, as in resistant to change) industry in the US. We’ll let AI lawyers be a thing just a few days before the entire population gets uploaded into pure energy.
#8
So, today we can say that AI will never replace doctors or teachers, but in just a few days, another startup or market giant could actually roll out a new model that will be far more effective in treatment or teaching. Especially when combined with advanced medical sensors, or at least those already available in the Apple Watch.
Today, we’re quite sure that plumbers and farmers are completely confident in their marketability, but here’s an ABC report about how AI-powered robots are working 24/7 in agriculture in Australia. And this symbiosis of robots and machine intelligence could truly disrupt any traditional industry.
#10
#11
Even the military. Indeed, the large number of military conflicts on the planet today (by some estimates, the largest since the end of WWII), along with the dramatic shift in warfare principles, is forcing generals around the world to rely on AI as an assistant or consultant on how to most effectively slay their own kind.
The great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, with his famous 3 laws of robotics, the first of which stated: “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm,” would be really horrified. But such is the reality of today: global military technology is one of the largest players in the AI market.
Some might say I’ve been watching too much of the old movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and its Skynet horror stories, but on the other hand, humans are already relying on machine intelligence in warfare. And according to the same predictive study I cited today, by 2030, AI could perceive humanity as a threat to its existence…
#13
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#15
So what should we do, you ask? Perhaps grab sledgehammers and smash machines, as the Luddites did at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century? No, definitely not. Perhaps legislate a halt to the construction of new data centers, as Bernie Sanders, for example, calls for? Maybe, who knows?
In any case, no one can feel 100% confident in their job in this mad world of today. Even if you always work with your hands, even if you bake the most delicious buns in the neighborhood or install HVAC systems better than anyone in town, AI can still come for you. So, perhaps the best solution here is to try to use AI assistance in your field, right?
#16
On the negative side my digital artwork is all suspect now. There is a constant requirement to prove authorship. Oil painting is my lifeboat.
#17
But I don't think social work can be replaced by AI. Some people say it will but I don't think people understand how much a social worker can do. They can be therapists, to case managers, to home intervention teams, to prison support, to drivers. There's just so much social workers do despite the hate they get. They're kinda the back bone for any assistive service out there. They're the true all rounders. Psychology is too specialized. I think psychology will become a bunch of researchers.
#18
It's awful because I enjoy coding things. I'm okay with technological progress but I hate how AI and automation replaces more and more cool jobs.
You know, this post has a slightly apocalyptic tone, but it’s not a call to panic. Rather, I urge you to be relatively skeptical of claims that no artificial intelligence will ever replace your profession. After all, as the ancient Romans said, “forewarned is forearmed.” So what do you, our dear readers, think about this? Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments below.
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#20
