Concerns that the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and its rapid integration into every area of our lives will lead to job losses and a lifestyle in which robots control our daily lives are spreading across campuses, businesses, and industries across the United States. However, when we examine this concept more closely, we find that many of these predictions are exaggerated by our fascination with dystopian science fiction. In reality, AI will gradually penetrate transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture. AI-powered robotics will replace routine tasks and provide health and other services, driving economic growth.
My commentary is aimed at young people considering career paths, today’s industry leaders evaluating opportunities to invest in the future, and thought leaders in academia and AI research.
Let’s take a look back at the current situation in developed countries, including the United States. While AI is eliminating many jobs, especially those involving routine tasks, data analysis, and customer service, roles that require human judgment and emotional intelligence may remain safe.
Microsoft has developed an “AI Applicability Score” that measures how well AI can perform a variety of core business tasks. Jobs with high scores are more likely to be transformed or replaced by AI technology. Many of these jobs are in computer and math fields, office and administrative support, and sales.
In a recent article in the New York Times, Sal Khan, the Bangladeshi founder of Khan Academy, wrote, “We believe that artificial intelligence will replace workers on a scale that many have yet to realize.” But he also calls on business leaders to invest in retraining workers to adapt to new workplace technologies.
AI-enhanced humanoid robots and autonomous machines will be in high demand across warehouses, supply chains, transportation, and agriculture. In Bangladesh, many manual tasks such as irrigation, tillage, and fertilizer spreading have been invaded by mechanization for decades.
Robotics in agriculture is often referred to as “agribots” and includes a variety of automation technologies designed to improve agricultural practices. These robots perform critical tasks such as planting, harvesting, monitoring crop health, and managing livestock, greatly increasing the productivity and efficiency of modern agriculture.
AI will enable us to work and learn more efficiently, but will increase the need for skilled workers to operate and manage this new technology. The challenge facing our society, especially the new generation, is to adapt to the changing job market and economic ecosystem. Universities and industry leaders will need to establish subcommittees to study and better understand the social and economic impacts of AI.
Microsoft itself is putting some energy into understanding the future of the workplace. It provides significant funding for graduate students engaged in research, market design, economics of artificial intelligence (AI), economics and computation, social learning, applied microeconomics, microeconomic theory, and behavioral economics.
Sal Khan advised large companies to invest 1 percent of their profits in training their employees to adapt to AI and robotics. He estimates that 1 percent of the combined profits of more than a dozen of the world’s largest companies could generate a $10 billion annual fund.
Next, let’s turn to worker retraining, which will undoubtedly be affected by changes in the job market. The revolution brought about by AI and automation is being fueled by chipmakers like Nvidia. Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said in a recent interview that polls show AI-powered robots will be used for office and administrative support, housework and repetitive tasks. But robots won’t be able to outperform humans in medicine, classroom teaching, or many other tasks.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that nearly 2 million jobs will be created annually in health care over the next decade. UNESCO estimates that there will be a global teacher shortage of 44 million by 2030. In the United States, the construction industry requires more than 500,000 additional workers each year just to meet demand. Meanwhile, job openings for electricians and plumbers are growing at a faster-than-average pace. The hospitality and aged care industries are jobs rooted in empathy and human presence, and they are expanding, not shrinking.
Our teachers must adapt to changing times and prepare their students for smart work. Advances in AI technology will transform many jobs, and some roles will face significant risks from automation. Workers in knowledge-intensive fields must proactively adapt to these changes and seek opportunities to reskill and adopt new technologies to remain competitive in an evolving job market.
At the 1 Billion Followers Summit 2026 in Dubai, educators, content creators and learning designers called for fundamental changes in the way education is delivered. As AI replaces some roles while increasing productivity, education will need to pivot from rote learning to skills-based development (problem-solving, digital literacy) and focus on real-world workplace readiness over degrees to prepare graduates for this evolving landscape.
Turning to agriculture, agriculture is an important sector to meet the food needs of a growing population that is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. Robots work continuously and can perform tasks faster and more accurately than human labor, which is in short supply anyway. Although the integration of robotics in agriculture has many benefits, challenges also exist, such as high initial costs and the need for skilled operators. Potential job losses can be addressed by strengthening the skilled crafts and trades needed to sustain an AI-driven economy.
The goal of universities should be to move away from a mindset solely focused on producing more graduates and toward a system that equips students with workplace skills. This requires an immediate shift in education reform from test-based assessment to skills-based learning.
Dr Abdullah Shibli He is an economist and academic currently working with a non-profit financial intermediary in Boston, USA. He previously worked at the World Bank and Harvard University.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
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