How Is AI Creating Careers While Changing Existing Jobs?
Artificial intelligence is already profoundly reshaping the workforce. Its influence extends far beyond the tech sector, reaching into government services, science, engineering, retail and more. The White House has even issued a national AI Action Plan to ensure the U.S. remains the global leader in accelerating AI innovation by enhancing the country’s AI infrastructure and exporting its technology to allies and partners worldwide.
Much of the current conversation centers on AI’s negative impacts, particularly workforce reductions. For instance, some companies (that mainly offer AI products themselves) project a 20 percent decrease in software development roles. Yet AI-generated code is often incomplete or inaccurate, which means human oversight will remain critical. Roles may evolve, but skilled software developers will continue to be in demand to ensure applications are functional, effective and secure.
At the same time, AI is opening up exciting new career paths. Specialists are developing new machine learning models and applications in fields such as computer vision and natural language processing. But success in the AI era will depend on more than technical expertise. Workers across industries will be expected to use AI tools to boost efficiency, enhance customer service and strengthen national security.
The greatest workforce shifts are expected at the entry level, where automation—such as through AI-powered chatbots—can replace routine tasks. However, new opportunities are emerging for employees who can test applications, improve workflows and train others to adopt AI effectively. The key will be widespread training and education. To thrive in an AI-driven economy, workers at all levels must understand how AI can be applied to their specific fields.
In short, AI is not simply replacing jobs but transforming them while creating entirely new career trajectories.
Dr. Diane Murphy is a Distinguished Professor at Marymount University and Director of the Institution’s Center for the Innovative Workforce. Her extensive background in artificial intelligence research began with expert systems in the 1980s and continues to the present day. She has taught emerging technologies, including cybersecurity and AI, for the last 25 years.
Awards/Honors
2021 Marymount University Halo Award for Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year
2020 Commonwealth of Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award
Principal Investigator on several cybersecurity and AI research projects, with grant funding from the National Science Foundation and other agencies