Is AI coming for your job?

Gallons of digital ink are spilled weekly about how AI will be a job-destroying juggernaut. But it’s far from clear that all jobs will be vulnerable and on what time scale the AI replacement will occur.

“Who gets laid off first? Writers and editors are at the greatest risk, the report says — 57 percent of such jobs are destined for the chopping block. Maybe they should have learned to code.

 

“But the coders come in at second place, with 55 percent likely to be pink-slipped. And the hits keep coming. Mathematicians, website developers, database architects, even atmospheric and space scientists are all in big trouble. 

 

“At least journalists catch a break. They’re broken out in a separate category from other writers and given a decent shot at survival. Only 35 percent of these jobs will be AI’d to death.

 

“Whose jobs are secure? “The three safest jobs are if you are a human dishwasher, if you’re a floor finisher, or if you are a technician in a surgical room,” said Chakravorti. He agreed that AI-powered robots can polish floors, but notes that such machines are still quite expensive compared to a human earning minimum wage. In short, there are two kinds of safe jobs — those that AI can’t do at all, and those it can do, but at too high a price.

 

“That’s good news for those who work with their hands. Welders, stonemasons, meat packers, railroad workers, and crematory operators are among the safest jobs around. Even fast food workers are considered at little risk of AI replacement. But if you work mainly with your brain, look out.”

*snip*

“So far, only 25 percent of AI dollars have gone into systems for controlling robots, mostly for household floor-cleaning machines such as the iRobot Roomba. Malone blames the physical limitations of today’s robots, which still can’t match the dexterity of human hands. 

 

“AI mainly threatens workers who manage information. But not all of them. Malone noted that some industries demand human empathy, a sense of ethics, and a knack for teamwork. That’s why he thinks health care jobs are relatively safe.”

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/23/business/ai-jobs-unemployment-mit-tufts/

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