Numerous studies have been conducted on the future of skills (with several, such as critical thinking, appearing in every one of them) and on how skills migration and replacement by AI will take the world by storm. Not so much, though, has been written on the future of jobs, especially from the positive side of things: if AI and automation, and in particular AI Autonomous Agents, take businesses by storm, what new occupations and professions might this bring into existence?
At KnowDroids.ai, we work relentlessly on our AI Agents fleet and platform, and our customers—ranging from utilities, financial institutions, and professional services to the production sector—indeed enjoy significant knowledge and efficiency gains. Unlike many in the tech industry, however, I do not foresee AI Agents replacing entire human teams anytime soon: AI needs a lot of human effort even in the mid-term.
In this short post, I will try to outline those jobs which may not exist yet but will be required soon as they are going to be induced by AI. I will focus on general business companies, not on software or AI developers themselves (although these, of course, will be influenced the most as for them AI is not only the tooling of the trade but the trade itself). Neither will I include obvious new jobs, such as AI compliance. The outline below has no ambition to be exhaustive; I am just noting the occupations most obviously following the technological and societal changes.
Every new technology brings the need for process deconstruction, job deconstruction, and IT deconstruction.
Process Deconstruction Specialists: These professionals will analyze and break down existing business processes to integrate AI solutions effectively, or to redraw processes entirely (as previously impossible things, such as “extract relevant knowledge from an underlying corpus of millions of instructed documents,” become common nowadays). They will ensure that AI is implemented in a way that enhances productivity without disrupting the core functions of the business.
Job Deconstruction Analysts: As AI takes over certain tasks, these analysts will identify which parts of jobs can be automated and which require human intervention. They will help redesign job roles to maximize the synergy between human workers and AI. Along with that, entirely new demands for Learning and Development will arise (more on that in the following section).
IT Deconstruction Engineers: These engineers will focus on breaking down and rebuilding IT infrastructures to accommodate AI technologies. They will not only ensure that systems are robust, scalable, and secure, enabling seamless AI integration; they will need to scrutinize existing systems, as many—sigh—will have to go. For example, the traditional SaaS is anticipated to give way to agentic solutions.
Yeap, not anymore companies will have solely human resources; the AI counterparts will have to be aligned, managed and fed back in a way similar to us humans - and a number of the implied jobs are almost obvious.
AI Talent Acquisition Specialists: With the rise of AI, there will be a growing need for specialists who can identify and recruit talent with the skills to work alongside AI. These recruiters will need to understand both the technical and soft skills required for new hybrid roles.
Talent Development: This is a traditional job, which, however, will gain entirely new content thanks to swiftly changing job descriptions for everyone. Talent development will become a key part of the omnipresent business transformation. I even foresee that talent development will be elevated as the No. 1 concern of HR departments worldwide, and within top 3 of every CEO.
AI Culture Managers: As AI becomes more integrated into the workplace, maintaining a positive and inclusive company culture will be crucial. All of a sudden, non-human agents will start to be present at almost every communication and task, and these AI Agents will often exhibit anthropomorphic traits: they may speak, write, exhibit personalities, make jokes, and exercise sincerity (even if just at 90% level :-). Briefly, they will start influencing and co-creating the company’s culture. And they can be guided in this, just as fellow humans could be.
Human-in-the-Loop Roles: AI can move a task part of the way, but usually—at a decision point, or at a point where a quality check and nod need to be given—the place for human-in-the-loop (HIL) comes. HILs will ensure that AI outputs are reviewed and validated, maintaining a high standard of quality and accountability. HILs will have to be experts in their fields to give sound judgment and feedback—even if a substantial part of their former activities may have been fulfilled by AI from a certain point onwards.
AI Ethics Consultants: As AI continues to evolve, ethical considerations will become increasingly important. AI Ethics Consultants will advise companies on best practices for using AI responsibly, ensuring that AI systems are fair, transparent, and aligned with societal values. Even in purely human teams, ethical questions and dilemmas, conflicts, and many other extraordinary matters routinely arise—and although AI will always be polite, unassuming, and aligned with human goals, for sure there will be edge cases worth attention.
Many more occupations, which I do not foresee clearly yet, will come into vogue. I personally anticipate that HILs will be in particularly high demand. And many jobs will stay preserved: for example, any strategic decision-making or ethical judgment will keep us, humans, very busy (while better informed with AI than we were without). I am curious to see the actual picture in a few years' time, to compare it with my today’s expectations!