Revealed: Top 20 jobs safest from AI takeover

Manual labour jobs deemed most safe from Artificial Intelligence, while careers in media at risk

The jobs safest and most at risk from Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been revealed, as experts predict AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs in the coming years.

A study from investment bank Goldman Sachs found AI could take over a quarter of work tasks in the USA and Europe. As with all technological advances, AI will change the way we work, making some jobs redundant but creating others too.

Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, able to create content indistinguishable from human work, is “a major advancement”, the report said.

Early last year, telecoms giant BT announced it will cut 55,000 jobs by the end of the decade, including replacing around 10,000 workers with artificial intelligence (AI), in a bid to cut costs.

One of the UK’s largest trade unions, Prospect, found that workers overwhelmingly believe government should set rules around the use of generative AI (such as ChatGPT) to protect jobs, with 58% of workers supporting regulation.

The UK government is also keen to promote AI investment in the UK, with Prime minister Rishi Sunak claiming AI could be the best thing that ever happened to the human race at the Bletchley Park AI summit in November last year.

At the same summit, Elon Musk, Owner of X and Tesla, told the Prime Minister AI would be “the most disruptive force in the industry for jobs”, claiming that “there will come a point where no job is needed.

What jobs are safest from AI?

The table below shows the jobs that are safest from AI and automation, ranked by salary, according to analysts at job search engine Adzuna.

They found that skilled manual jobs, such as mechanics, plumbers and carpenters have little exposure to AI, with medical professionals ranked among the highest-paid and best insulated careers.

The average advertised salary for an oncologist in December was £201,243 - the highest on the list - while roles such as influencer, therapist and judge also ranked as safe from the advent of AI.

There are also completely new jobs emerging since the AI boom, including machine manager, AI trainer and prompt engineer.

What jobs are most at risk from AI?

The Goldman Sachs report notes AI's impact will vary across different sectors - 46% of tasks in administrative and 44% in legal professions could be automated but only 6% in construction 4% in maintenance.

The job most at risk of being replaced by AI is data entry assistant, with an average salary £42,764, according to Adzuna.

Careers in the media industry, including advertising specialists, journalists and writers also ranked highly on the list, as generative AI becomes increasingly more sosphisticated in producing long-form written content.

Prior to his AI summit, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attempted to ease people’s fears about Artificial Intelligence, saying: “It’s important to recognise that AI doesn’t just automate and take people’s jobs.

“A better way to think about it is as a co-pilot.

“As with all technologies, they change our labour market, I think over time of course they make our economy more prosperous, more productive.

“They create more growth overall but it does mean that there are changes in the labour market.”