These
Jobs Will Fall First As AI Takes Over The Workplace
By Jack Kelly, Senior Contributor. Jack Kelly covers career growth, job market
and workplace trends.
Apr 25,
2025, 09:16am EDTApr 30, 2025, 02:10pm EDT
Artificial
intelligence is advancing at breakneck speed. The big question is how long it
will take until technology dominates the job market. You should start thinking
about your own career. Will you be caught up in the change? With the U.S.
navigating a $36 trillion debt, tariff tensions, and economic uncertainty, the
specter of disruption from AI adds urgency for workers to protect themselves.
Artificial
intelligence is expected to fundamentally transform the global workforce by
2050, according to reports from PwC, McKinsey, and the World Economic Forum.
Estimates suggest that up to 60% of current jobs will require significant
adaptation due to AI. Automation and intelligent systems will become an
integral part of the workplace.
o remain
competitive, invest in skills like critical thinking and digital fluency.
Target AI-resilient sectors like healthcare or education. Advocate for
retraining programs to reinvent your career.
As macro
investor and founder of the Bridgewater hedge fund Ray Dalio warns, the
economy’s future hinges on balancing AI’s power with human potential. He says
those who prepare now will shape the world of tomorrow.
Things Are
Changing Quickly
Estimates
vary, but experts converge on a transformative window of 10 to 30 years for AI
to reshape most jobs. A McKinsey report projects that by 2030, 30% of current
U.S. jobs could be automated, with 60% significantly altered by AI tools.
Goldman Sachs predicts up that to 50% of jobs could be fully automated by 2045,
driven by generative AI and robotics.
Goldman
Sachs previously estimated that 300 million jobs could be lost to AI, affecting
25% of the global labor market. On the bright side, AI is least threatening to
labor-intensive careers in construction, skilled trades, installation and
repair, and maintenance.
Dalio warns
of a “great deleveraging” where AI accelerates productivity but displaces
workers faster than new roles emerge, potentially within two decades. Larry
Fink, the CEO of Black Rock, speaking at the Economic Club of New York this
month, cautioned that AI’s impact is already visible in sectors like finance
and legal services, predicting a “restructuring” of white-collar work by 2035.
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, estimates in his shareholder letter that AI
will dominate repetitive tasks within 15 years.
The actual
pace depends on technological breakthroughs, regulatory frameworks, and
economic incentives. Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who runs Pershing
Square, argues that corporate adoption of AI is accelerating due to cost
pressures, potentially shrinking timelines.
Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent counters that AI could bolster U.S. competitiveness if
paired with retraining, delaying mass displacement. By 2040, AI will likely
automate or transform 50% to 60% of jobs, with full dominance (80% and higher)
possible by 2050, assuming steady innovation.
Which Jobs
Will AI Take First to Last?
AI’s impact
will not be uniform. Some jobs will fall quickly, while others resist longer.
Jobs like data entry, scheduling, and customer service are already being
overtaken by AI tools like chatbots and robotic process automation.
A 2024 study
by the Institute for Public Policy Research found 60% of administrative tasks
are automatable. Fink notes that BlackRock is streamlining back-office
functions with AI, cutting costs. These roles, requiring repetitive data
processing, face near-term obsolescence as AI’s accuracy and scalability
improve.
Bookkeeping,
financial modeling, and basic data analysis are highly vulnerable. AI platforms
like Bloomberg’s Terminal enhancements can already crunch numbers and generate
reports faster than humans. Dimon warns that JPMorgan is automating routine
banking tasks, with 20% of analytical roles at risk by 2030.
Paralegal
work, contract drafting, and legal research are prime targets, as AI tools like
Harvey and CoCounsel automate document analysis with 90% accuracy, according to
a 2025 Stanford study. Dalio highlights AI’s ability to parse vast datasets,
threatening research-heavy roles in academia and consulting. Senior legal
strategy and courtroom advocacy, however, will resist longer due to human
judgment needs.
Graphic
design, copywriting, and basic journalism face disruption from tools like
DALL-E and GPT-derived platforms, which produce content at scale. A 2024 Pew
Research Center report notes that 30% of media jobs could be automated by 2035.
Ackman, commenting on X, predicts AI-generated content will dominate
advertising soon but argues human creativity in storytelling and high art will
endure longer, delaying full automation.
Software
development, engineering, and data science are dual-edged: AI boosts
productivity but also automates routine coding and design tasks. A 2025 World
Economic Forum report flags that 40% of programming tasks could be automated by
2040. Bessent sees growth in AI-adjacent roles like cybersecurity, but
standardized STEM work will gradually cede to algorithms. Complex innovation,
like breakthrough research and development, will remain human-driven longer.
Diagnostic
AI and robotic surgery are advancing, but empathy-driven roles like nursing,
therapy, and social work are harder to automate. A 2023 Lancet study estimates
25% of medical administrative tasks could vanish by 2035, but patient-facing
care requires human trust.
Teaching,
especially in nuanced fields like philosophy or early education, and high-level
management jobs rely on emotional intelligence and adaptability, which AI
struggles to replicate. A 2024 OECD report suggests only 10% of teaching tasks
are automatable by 2040. Dimon and Ackman stress that strategic leadership,
navigating ambiguity and inspiring teams, will remain human-centric.
Jack Kelly
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