A new report by the United Nations (UNCTAD) says up to 40% of jobs worldwide could be affected by AI. Some of these jobs may change, while others might disappear. The report also says that women’s jobs could be more at risk than men’s.

Consulting firm McKinsey & Company also expects big job changes in the next five years, depending on how fast companies adopt AI. Jobs in driving, IT, business, and even HR could be replaced by AI tools. For example, many companies already use AI to screen CVs and profiles during hiring. IBM is one such company, it has started replacing some HR staff with AI to handle routine work. IBM’s CEO, Arvind Krishna, said AI has already taken over the work of “a couple hundred” HR employees.

These jobs to be replaced by AI

Self-driving cars are getting better. Experts think that in the future, jobs like taxi drivers and delivery workers might be done by driverless cars. But in India, this may take a long time because roads and traffic rules are not ready, and the technology is very expensive. Also, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said in 2023 that he would not allow driverless cars in India because they could take away people’s jobs. Still, no one knows what can happen in the future.

Tech jobs are also changing. Today, people can build websites or apps using AI, even without knowing coding. So, companies don’t need big IT teams for simple tasks. Big companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are already using AI for basic coding. AI is also being used in cybercrime, helping hackers attack faster and smarter. In sales, AI can chat with customers, send messages, and check data. A company called Klarna said its AI talked to 2.3 million customers in 2024-doing the job of 700 people. At a Google event, they showed new AI tools that let you try clothes online before buying.

In stores and restaurants, machines and robots are starting to do jobs people used to do. Self-checkout machines and cleaning robots are helping reduce the need for workers. In some cities like Kolkata and Lucknow, you can even see robot servers in restaurants. Big places like Decathlon and McDonald’s use self-checkout machines in India.

AI is also helping with writing emails, reports, and messages. In the future, businesses may use AI more to save time on everyday tasks. Recently, leaders from Klarna and Zoom appeared in meetings as AI avatars-digital copies that looked and sounded like them-showing how AI is becoming part of work and business.