Futureproofing your career with an AI-resistant degree is a tough ask, says Charlie Ball, an expert on graduate employment for Jisc, the UK\u2019s higher education digital, data and technology agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you\u2019re trying to do is futureproof a 45-year career in a time of rapid technological change \u2013 and that\u2019s really quite hard to do. What\u2019s likely is that jobs that hinge a lot on human, face-to-face interaction are unlikely to be replaced.\u201d<\/p>\n
He warns however that the discussion should focus less on identifying specific vocational paths that are safe from AI, and more on how to equip young people with a suite of skills that allow them to adapt rapidly to labour market change.<\/p>\n
But if pushed, areas of work that might offer more protection from AI than others include the following.<\/p>\n
Research and development
Degrees in Stem subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) have long been associated with good careers. Although AI will inevitably affect entry-level lab work, \u201cthe creativity and imaginative work will have to be done by humans,\u201d says Ball. \u201cThe whole point of R&D is to find out new things, and AI can only really compare against stuff that it\u2019s already got in its database.\u201d<\/p>\n
Engineering
We may see AI increasingly embedded in design and modelling, but human engineers will still be required to operate in physical, real-world environments that will continue to require human oversight. \u201cMuch of engineering is going to be hard to replace by AI,\u201d Ball says. \u201cWe are likely still to need engineers to do the big stuff like civil engineering \u2013 building bridges and buildings. Those areas are likely to be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n
Creative arts and entertainment
\u201cAlthough AI can produce creative art, people generally don\u2019t like it very much,\u201d is Ball\u2019s verdict. He thinks we will get better at spotting its handiwork. \u201cThere will always be demand for human-led creativity. Everything AI currently produces is a remix of things that already exist. AI can\u2019t create things. You\u2019ll never get a distinctive new voice emerging. It can\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Medicine
\u201cWe will still have doctors in 50 years\u2019 time,\u201d says Ball. \u201cTheir jobs will change somewhat. But people will want humans to deliver their health news, particularly the more difficult news. And no matter how good automation gets, when your kids are poorly, you will want to take them to a human GP.\u201d AI can be helpful with diagnoses in some cases, \u201cbut it will still make mistakes. Where you will need someone to take responsibility for decisions, they will all have to be human.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nursing and midwifery
\u201cAI and tech will get injected into many health roles, and on balance that\u2019s probably quite a good thing, because at the moment we have nowhere near enough people doing these jobs,\u201d says Ball. \u201cBut people will want humans to care for them when they are sick. People will want humans to look after them when they are old. I cannot envisage a situation where there will ever be a robot midwife.\u201d<\/p>\n