11 Jobs AI Could Replace In 2025—And 15+ Jobs That Are Safe – Forbes

This post was originally published on this site.

AI is disrupting jobs faster than any revolution known in recent workforce history.

In the early 1900s, factory automation replaced the roles of thousands of artisan and small-scale factory workers. By the latter half of the 20th century, ATMs started disrupting the banking industry and temporarily affected the roles of tellers, and by the early 2000s, the wave of ecommerce and the internet impacted large swathes of retail workers and workers at companies like Blockbusters (who even remembers that anymore?)

We’ve barely left the first quarter of 2025, and already Meta has announced it’s cutting about 5% of its global workforce, or 3,600 employees, with the first to go being low-performers. (And AI only came to the forefront in 2022–let that sink in.)

However, as Jason Snyder notes for Forbes, “this isn’t about performance—it’s about priorities. While Meta framed the layoffs as a way to remove underperforming employees, many affected workers have pushed back, arguing that the company prioritizes AI-driven efficiency over human labor.” Snyder continues, “Mark Zuckerberg has openly stated that Meta wants to ‘raise the bar’ on talent and accelerate hiring in AI and machine learning roles immediately after the cuts. Layoffs began on Monday. Hiring for AI-focused roles started Tuesday.”

Remember, too, that Meta is not alone in its stance. Several other major employers have done the same, laying off thousands of workers in a bid to be more efficient and prioritize AI.

Clearly, the workforce is being restructured in another industrial AI revolution.

WEF (World Economic Forum) data points to a positive flip side to the story. Although roles are indeed being eliminated, WEF’s report all the way back in 2020, pre-ChatGPT, suggests that despite 85 million roles being displaced, 97 million new jobs are expected to emerge, specifically in fields like data science, AI development and monitoring, and AI and human collaborative roles.

We’ve seen evidence of the positive results of an industrial revolution in history. With the examples of the industrial revolutions of the past, sure, roles have been completely eradicated, but they have been replaced with job titles best suited to the times and to the wave of new technology and innovation.

So it shouldn’t be hard to imagine that the AI and robot revolution will affect the same results–removing jobs, while creating an entirely new job market in its wake.

11 Jobs Most At Risk Of Being Replaced By AI In 2025

Employers have already signaled that implementing artificial intelligence is one of their key business priorities for 2025 and beyond, with nine in 10 saying they expect to use AI-enabled solutions and generative AI over the next five years, and 73% admitting to making hiring AI talent a priority. The question is, as more companies embrace this new era, what jobs are most at risk of annihilation?

This is a critical question at top of mind for many U.S. workers, with 52% worried about how AI will impact their jobs, according to a fresh Pew Research study of more than 5,000 U.S. professionals.

The job board, Indeed, just released a fresh list of jobs at risk of automation and defines automated roles as “are tasks that machines or software programs can perform without human intervention. They’re typically routine or repetitive actions that require a high degree of accuracy. They may include simple tasks, such as making phone calls, or complex processes, such as running data analysis or processing transactions. In industrial environments, automated duties are often those that humans perceive as undesirable.”

Their list includes:

1. Manufacturing jobs (machine operation, product handling, testing, packaging, testing, etc.)
2. Retail and commerce roles (customer service, inventory management, fraud analysis)
3. Transport and logistics jobs (human drivers being replaced through autonomous vehicles, such as what we’re already seeing with Waymo)
4. Basic data entry, analysis, and visualization jobs
5. Financial analysis and projection roles
6. Travel agents and itinerary providers
7. Translators
8. Tax preparation and entry-level bookkeeping and accounting roles

Other roles at risk of expiration, or at risk of being less in demand, which are not explicitly mentioned in Indeed’s list include:

1. Proofreaders
2. Paralegals
3. Graphic designers

15+ Jobs That Are Safe From AI In 2025

So what roles are safe from the threat of automation so you can future-proof your career and plan accordingly?

AI Jobs (Designing AI)

Well obviously, the first set of jobs you’d expect to be future-proofed from automation is AI jobs, or roles that enable AI to function as it should. This includes:

1. Machine learning engineers
2. Software developers
3. Data scientists
4. Cybersecurity engineers
5. AI agent managers

AI-Powered Jobs (Collaborating With AI)

The next set of roles that are safe from AI are those that work in collaboration with it, not independently or against it, pretending it doesn’t exist or treating AI like a threat. These are roles that require high levels of specialist expertise, a personal touch, or specifically demand in-person interaction with an actual human. They also tend to be more creative and require human decision-making or insight. You’ll be relieved to know that there are many roles that fall into this category, spanning education, healthcare, and business/corporate settings. For example:

1. Registered nurses
2. Choreographers
3. Paramedics
4. Mental health specialists and counselors
5. Teachers–from K-12 and further, higher education teachers, instructors, and professors
6. Civil engineers
7. Surgeons
8. Project managers
9. Operations directors and managers
10. Musicians
11. Journalists

Now to be clear, no one is saying that the jobs listed above will not feel the impact of AI at all; but rather, anyone in these roles will need to adapt their work, update their skills and knowledge, and find ways to incorporate AI-powered tools and intelligence to help them focus on delivering the more complex aspects of the job.

What’s even more exciting is that by 2030, 85% of roles will be new jobs on the market that we haven’t even heard of as yet, according to the WEF. New job titles will be created (and are in the process of being created even now) so there will be plenty of scope for you to apply your skills and experience in collaboration with the new AI-powered workforce.

Should I Be Worried?

There’s no point being in the dark and running away from the reality or treating AI like an enemy to your career. Speaking in an interview at IBM’s London headquarters for this Forbes piece, Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM vice president, emphasized: “Learning does not just stop anymore. There’s a new technology all the time; it’s accelerating at a much faster rate than it ever did. You know, today it’s AI, it could be quantum tomorrow. AI will impact almost every job role and will affect every industry.”

She concluded, “Whether you’re in the service industry, a tech company, or in finance, everyone needs to be upskilled and understand what AI means for their role.”

So no, you shouldn’t be concerned. Instead, prepare a detailed career action plan so you can stay ahead of the curve and ensure that every upskilling course you take, every new job offer you accept or role that you search for, is strategically aligned with your career goals and with the needs of the evolving workforce. Take time to make yourself AI-aware, especially considering that employers are having a hard time finding AI-skilled talent and would rather hire a worker with AI skills than one without them.

If you act blindly like nothing will happen and wait for your job to be uprooted, then yes, you should be worried.

AI Job Loss FAQs

Which jobs are at risk from AI?

If your role is highly repetitive or involves tasks that are typically boring and mundane, then most likely yes. The more human effort and intuition is required, the less at risk you are.

Which jobs will AI never replace?

Leadership roles, childcare, education, healthcare, technical design like landscaping and architecture, and roles that require human-led problem-solving and human interaction, as well as roles that enable AI to work.

What should I do if my job is at risk?

Don’t panic. Create an action plan and focus on three quick actions or steps you can take now to pivot easily. Learn automation tools and practice using them so that you’ll be in-demand when employers require your talent, and upskill in areas that are future-proof. You should also take certifications related to AI.