An uncle of mine one gave me some career advice. “Become an undertaker”, he said. You will never be out of work”. Showing that famed mad impetuosity of youth, I disregarded his sage advice, but with the ever-looming presence of Artificial Intelligence, the Collins Dictionary word of 2023 which has more rizz about it than the OED’s preference, my thoughts turned recently to which careers are the most bomb-proof against the predations of AI.
According to Goldman Sachs, AI could take over a quarter of the tasks that make up the employment landscape, at least in the West, potentially changing the way we work, making some roles redundant. Particularly at risk are roles in administrative and legal professions, with careers in the media industry, including advertising specialists, journalists, and writers also featuring high up in the list.
On the other hand, manual work such as construction and maintenance, and where there is a high degree of personal interaction seem less exposed. The report suggests that skilled medical professionals, such as oncologists and surgeons, dentists and doctors, while potentially using AI to assist them, will be amongst the most secure as will services such as hairdressers, chiropodists and the like.
And of course, there are the funeral directors, the preferred title nowadays for undertakers. Perhaps my uncle was right after all.
It makes you think.
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