What jobs will artificial intelligence create?

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to integrate into society, we often hear about the job losses and areas where AI will take over the workforce.

But what about the flip side? What are the fields of work AI will create growth in and what jobs can we expect to be created as machine learning improves?

The World Economic Forum white paper Jobs of Tomorrow: Large Language Models and Jobs, highlights three areas where we can expect job expansion.

Examining the potential impact of large language models (LLMs) on jobs, the paper says opportunities are likely to rise fastest for AI trainers, explainers and sustainers – essentially, jobs catering to AI and merging it with society.

This includes AI model and prompt engineers, interface and interaction designers, AI content creators, data curators and trainers, and ethics and governance specialists.

Australian Institute for Machine Learning Centre for Augmented Reasoning Director 
Anton van den Hengel was optimistic about the impact of AI on the displacement and creation of jobs.

He said key areas of job growth involved technology, content and the development of AI itself.

“There will be winners and losers in the job market – some jobs will go, some jobs will change and a lot of jobs will be created.” 

“Inevitably, there is a change in employment, but with these technological revolutions, the jobs which get replaced are lower-level automatable ones, as they get replaced with higher-level, better-paying and more interesting jobs," Mr van den Hengel said. 

“The easy answer is jobs creating AI such as the software engineers, AI researchers and the people developing AI-based tools like coders who write the software.

“In the short term, most jobs created will be in the technology sector and within content creation.”

AIM WA Chief Learning and Development Officer Drew Mayhills FAIM said AI was likely to generate roles that blended technical expertise with sector-specific knowledge.
 
“I expect that we will see a surge in demand for jobs blending technical skills with human insight – roles in AI oversight such as ethicists ensuring AI’s responsible use, and specialists who can manipulate and operationalise AI outputs into strategic business decisions,” he said.

“As AI automates routine tasks, the need for roles that inherently require human empathy and understanding will increase. 

“A significant amount of research is currently focused on human-in-the-loop approaches to AI.

“For example, in healthcare – while AI can be optimised for efficiencies in broad diagnostic assessment, the humans in these evolving roles will add value through empathy, care and nuanced decision-making.”

AI’s impact on industries and existing jobs

While some believe this is still a far-away fallacy, many would argue we are already living in a world experiencing an AI-initiated occupation evolution.

Mr van den Hengel said as industries adapted to incorporate machine technology, AI would offer a whole new class of jobs.

“We never had an influencer as a job description before,” he said.

“That’s a class of job that arises because of social media, and social media doesn’t work unless you have AI to recommend posts somebody sees. 

“As we move to an AI-enabled economy, every sector of the economy winds up doing AI.

“New classes of jobs get created as AI goes through and changes industries. 

“The next generation of electricians will be installing smart technology and connecting your solar inverter to the internet.

“Mining technology in Western Australia is going remote – instead of having mining truck drivers, we have remote mining truck drivers.”

According to Mr Mayhills, the more immediate impact of AI integration within industries is the repositioning of how people add unique value across a range of existing roles. 

“Key areas like healthcare, education and training are transforming as organisations are seeking to engage AI in handling routine administrative tasks, allowing employees to focus on building better relationships, personalising client experiences and reflecting on how they lead their teams more efficiently,” he said.

“This shift foregrounds uniquely human skills such as applied creativity, emotional intelligence and problem-solving.”

A changing job landscape 

According to Mr van den Hengel, one of the issues facing Australia lies in the geographical location of these new jobs. 

“As AI happens in a virtual space, what we use in Australia isn’t necessarily based here, such as Netflix and Uber algorithms, which are running overseas,” he said. 

“This means the jobs getting lost and the jobs being created don’t necessarily happen in the same place.”

To counter job displacement and capture the biggest economic positives AI will bring to society and the workforce, Mr van den Hengel said Australia should develop its own AI-driven industries.

“The disruptive opportunity – the high-impact opportunities – are in developing our own cutting-edge AI which outcompetes the rest of the world,” he said.

“We need big innovative AI to not only be able to compete economically as a nation but also to have a seat at the table when the big decisions get made or we will miss out on the economic benefits of that process.”

Mr Mayhills said for people to adapt to a changing job landscape, they should embrace a mindset of lifelong learning and adaptability.

“Finding ways to remain comfortable with discomfort when it comes to change, staying open to continuous learning and developing one’s social and emotional intelligence will all be essential preconditions for success in a rapidly evolving job market,” he said.

Learning to utilise AI in your workplace 

Tailored for non-technical business professionals, managers and individuals, AIM WA’s Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace is a two-day course that provides practical guidance for using AI solutions effectively and safely, equipping people with the knowledge and skills to harness AI for enhanced efficiency and productivity in their work environments.

“The aim is to make AI accessible and understandable, empowering participants with the confidence to discuss and conceptualise AI in their work contexts,” Mr Mayhills said.

“Participants are introduced to the AI mindset and can expect to develop a foundational understanding of AI, build familiarity with key language and concepts, and get hands-on with some of the most common AI tools and platforms.

“The second day involves a practical application, where participants will learn to apply AI tools to solve various workplace challenges based on real-life examples. 

“The emphasis is on the transfer of learning to practical contexts, where they can apply AI concepts to a range of scenarios they could expect to face in their organisations.”