Automation Will Never Replace These 5 Jobs

A lot has been made of the “robot apocalypse” where machines come in and take over jobs usually performed by humans. One of the main driving forces behind such a surge in automation have been recent developments in artificial intelligence. New, smart machines are starting to replace humans across industries causing many to worry about their jobs. These fears are understandable, especially  since a recent report from the Brookings Institution found that 25% of the jobs in the US are in danger of being automated.

While it may seem that technology is taking over the job market, we should not panic. According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance, only 4% of the US workforce will be replaced by robot counterparts. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the jobs that will not be automated any time soon.

Healthcare Workers

There is no denying the fact that technology is greatly enhancing the work of healthcare professionals allowing them to diagnose patients faster and with greater accuracy. Still, the role of the healthcare professional will never be automated because it requires creating an emotional connection with the patient, building trust and long-term relationships. Even the most advanced robots available today can, at best, pretend to show empathy, build relationships and any other types of emotional intelligence. This is why healthcare workers can feel safe for many years to come.

Teachers

Even though technology is starting to play a greater role in the educational process, the role of the teacher is not something that can be replaced by a machine. AI will continue to provide educational support to students and teachers in the classroom, but only humans can teach students the soft skills they need to be a well-rounded individual and compete in the job market of the future. Therefore, even though teachers may be underpaid, unsung heroes, they play a vital role in providing top-quality education and will continue to do in the future.

Data Annotators

Have you ever asked yourself how are machines becoming so smart that they can replace human beings in many jobs out there? The answer is that they contain machine learning algorithms that allow them to learn, recognize and function in their surroundings. If we delve down even further, human data annotators are required to label all of the data so that the machines can learn properly. Annotation data is a very tedious and time-consuming activity, which is why a lot of businesses choose to outsource this work to companies like Mindy Support. Not only are we able to provide top-quality data annotation at scale, but we make this work fun for our team members thus ensuring the long-term stability of our team.

Social Workers

Just like healthcare professionals, social workers need to build emotional bonds with individuals and families to improve their lives. People rely on social workers for empathy and understanding and offer them guidance during critical or tough moments in their lives. This is why people will continue to prefer the advice they receive from human beings because it is based on their life experiences instead of a robot who can only crunch numbers.

Hairdresser

With all of the news about self-driving cars, IBM’s Watson winning Jeopardy! and other advancements made in AI, it is amazing that machines will never be able to replace the humble hairdresser. If we consider all of the dexterity and skills that a hairdresser has to possess, such a job may be impossible to automate. Not to mention that robots are terrible at gossiping. For all of these reasons, the old barbershops and hair salons will keep their doors open for new business for a long time.

Putting it All Together

It is important to remember that the above list is not exhaustive, but it does provide us with a lot of insights into the jobs that will remain safe from automation. Jobs that will require understanding people and making a connection will continue to be in demand. Also, since there will continue to be new advancements made in AI, human data annotators will continue to be in demand. Therefore it is important to put all of the technological progress into perspective and understand that its role is to make the jobs of humans more efficient instead of replacing us completely.

Posted by Il’ya Dudkin