As waves of layoffs continue to ripple through the labor market, workers are increasingly anxious that artificial intelligence will replace them. And for good reason. In 2023, the World Economic Forum estimated that 75% of companies are actively looking to adopt technologies like big data, cloud computing, and AI—and that automation will lead to 26 million fewer jobs by 2027.
Leaders with major investments in AI often use a common argument when attempting to appease these so-called AI-xieties: that while AI may replace roles, it will also create new ones.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Victor Reinoso, global director of education philanthropy at Amazon, echos this sentiment. “When Amazon was conceived as a company, the careers that exist today at Amazon weren’t known,” he says. “Amazon as a company recognizes that innovation is ongoing, and so when we look at how we can have a positive community impact, one of those things is to pay forward that knowledge that the careers of tomorrow aren’t entirely known today, but that there are some foundational skills or literacies that will allow you to access those careers.”
Reinoso’s job involves overseeing Amazon’s childhood-to-career initiatives, which are aimed at “increasing access to computer science education for children and young adults from underserved and underrepresented communities.” In November 2023, Amazon announced a new “AI Ready” initiative that promises to provide free AI education and skills training to 2 million people by 2025. More recently, Reinoso’s team announced a new study, which found that more than 60% of teachers believe having AI skills will be necessary for their students to obtain high-paying careers of the future.
“Our presumption is that your career trajectory will be improved by some awareness and ability in AI,” Reinoso says. “For a long time, the focus around computer science education was to become a developer.” Now that’s shifted to include more than just a focus on coding, he says. “What . . . this inflection point with AI, and tech generally, demonstrates is that it doesn’t matter what your career is going to be. Establishing some foundational literacy in these subjects will be helpful. So we’re trying to imagine ways to inspire kids to not think coding is the only way to learn computer science, or the only thing [they] can use computer science for.”The data suggests this shift is already occurring in the workplace. While coding jobs were once considered to be among the most stable and high-paying roles, software developers made up the majority of tech layoffs that occurred in 2023.
Additionally, a 2023 report from PwC and the World Economic Forum notes that by 2030, approximately 85 million positions could go unfilled because of a lack of applicants with the skills needed to work the jobs of the future—which could result in $8.5 trillion in unrealized annual revenues. If these figures are correct, then it makes sense that companies like Amazon are investing resources in upskilling future workers to fill these jobs.
Earlier this month, Amazon produced a report with futurist Tracey Follows to predict (and promote) AI-related careers that could be on the horizon. Together, they determined that the future will include job titles such as precision farming analyst, virtual tourism producer, artisanal restoration specialist, cosmic reality engineer, and AI nurse.
Here are the five AI-powered roles Amazon expects to exist in the future and their predicted job descriptions:
Precision farming analyst
“Agriculture has become an increasingly technical science, and these AI-trained analysts will further revolutionize the farming industry as they maximize yields while being as efficient as possible with resources required for food production. AI models will help analysts predict and mitigate the impact of climate change as they assist with crop selection and the allocation of resources like water and fertilizers. AI will also integrate with robots that can plant and harvest while also monitoring crops in real time.”
Virtual tourism producer
“Imagine being able to plan a summer vacation with a virtual reality preview. Virtual tourism producers will create immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences using AI to showcase destinations and activities. They’ll curate and update VR content to highlight the latest news and cultural developments in different regions while partnering with tourism boards to market travel experiences.”
Artisanal restoration specialist
“Craftspeople in the specialized field of artisanal restoration will leverage advanced AI systems to repair and restore luxury goods—from couture fashion to antique furniture. Specialists will use AI to identify and source original materials and assess the most effective techniques for each restoration to maintain the item’s original aesthetic, historical significance, and value.”
Cosmic reality engineer
“These experts in the field of interstellar studies will harness human imagination and advanced AI skills to visualize the distant, and sometimes invisible, parts of the cosmos—from stars and planets to entire galaxies. With a deep understanding of astrophysics, cosmology, and astronomy, these engineers will contextualize AI-generated data and translate the abstract into visually stunning simulations that educate others about space.”
AI nurse
“AI will play a big part in helping nurses and other medical professionals diagnose illnesses, monitor vital signs, and track medications and wellness plans for patients. Nursing has always demanded exceptional interpersonal skills and strong medical knowledge. But nurses of the future will also have familiarity with AI tools and data analytics to interpret AI-driven insights and translate complex analyses about diagnoses and treatment plans into language that patients can understand.”
One thing that can be learned from these “new” roles is that they are based on less-technical jobs that currently exist, reimagined to use AI to improve efficiency, source content and materials, and analyze data. One of the most common predictions among experts is that the AI revolution, and more specifically the development of user-friendly large language models like ChatGPT, will lead to a broad range of workers—including those outside of the tech industry—to use automated tools. As a recent report from McKinsey puts it, “Generative AI is both accelerating automation and extending it to an entirely new set of occupations.”
And while these jobs depicted by Amazon and Follows are yet to be seen, companies like Amazon are already leveraging AI to replace the tasks of workers in less fantastical, and more expected, ways. For instance, last year Amazon’s warehouses began adopting new robotic arms and sorting machines fueled by artificial intelligence. At the time, Amazon said the new tech would help address safety issues for its workers. However, the e-commerce behemoth emphasized that the main objective of its automated robotic system was to boost productivity and shorten delivery times, estimating that it could cut order fulfillment time by up to 25% and sort inventory up to 75% more quickly.
When asked about the anxiety workers feel when they see AI replace jobs that were once held by humans, Reinoso responds sympathetically, if not philosophically. “The human experience,” he says, “is that the unknown brings uncertainty, and then uncertainty can bring anxiety.”
