You might have read headlines predicting mass unemployment caused by artificial intelligence, but what’s discussed less is the number of the jobs and opportunities AI will create.
According to a recent survey, jobs involving core AI-related activities are expected to grow to 3.9 million by 2035. By then, as many as 9.7 million people may work in roles that use AI technology. This is definitely a workforce revolution.
So, we've asked careers expert Mark Anderson to explore the opportunities AI is creating and how you can prepare for this brave new world. And a quick reassurance: these roles aren’t just for maths geniuses. Many require creativity, communication, judgement and ethical thinking.
People often talk about the jobs that AI will replace, but they don't often talk about the jobs that AI will actually create. AI is creating millions of new jobs by 2035. It's expected that nearly 10 million people will be using AI on a day to day basis in their jobs and the good news is, these aren't just jobs for people who are great at maths and coding. There are jobs for people who've got great communication skills, are creative, have good judgment and a good understanding of equality and what's fair. So what are some of these jobs? First of all, we have AI ethics leads. These are the people who make sure that AI is fair and not biased. So for example, if you use face recognition to unlock your phone, these are the people who make sure that it's fair for everybody, not just certain people with a particular skin tone. And then we have prompt engineers, their job is basically knowing how to ask AI really useful questions in order to get the most accurate results. If you've ever had to explain something complicated to a young child, this could be the job for you. And then we've got AI engineers. These are the people who actually build the AI systems. And then you've also got machine learning operations engineers. These are the people who make sure the system is running smoothly, so they're a bit like car mechanics, but for computers. Beyond the tech world AI is being used by lots of different industries. In healthcare AI is already being used by medical staff to spot diseases earlier, and that's going to have a knock on effect on the number of healthcare staff that are needed to actually manage and treat these diseases. In education, there will be a need for AI teachers, not just in schools, but also in the workplace as well. And in the world of science and climate action, there's a growing need for more AI experts to go into these industries in order to solve big problems faster. So what does this all mean for you in terms of the training and what you need to do now? Well, first of all, there's different pathways you can get into this. You could either go the university route and do a degree such as maths, computer science or anything with artificial intelligence or robotics in the title. You could also go the apprenticeship route if you'd rather be working and earning money at the same time, and look for apprenticeships related to data science or computing. But I think ultimately you can prepare by making sure that you're adaptable. You stay curious because at the end of the day, the job you could be doing in the future may not have even been created yet.
Emerging AI Roles
AI Ethics Lead These professionals ensure AI systems are fair and unbiased for everyone. For example, you might use AI-powered face recognition to unlock your smartphone. An AI Ethics Lead is the person who ensures that the system can recognise all skin tones and there is no bias towards one type. As AI becomes more powerful, this role becomes essential.
Prompt Engineer A fast-growing role focused on getting the most from AI systems. Prompt engineers know how to phrase questions and instructions, so AI delivers accurate and useful results. If you’ve ever succeeded at explaining complicated ideas to a child, this could be the job for you.
AI Engineer AI engineers design, build and train computer systems to copy human intelligence to solve real life problems. This could be anything from self-driving cars to disease detection tools.
MLOps (Machine Learning Operations Engineer) Think about cars. Engineers will build your car, then you take your car to a local garage every year for a motor mechanic to ensure it’s running smoothly. In a similar way, while AI engineers build the computer systems, MLOps make sure they run smoothly. They ensure AI models are fast and aren’t going to break down when lots of people are using them at the same time.
Data Scientist You’ll know that there is so much data available on the internet, but not all of it is true or accurate. Data Scientists identify, tidy up and analyse good data to solve complex problems. The reason why social media sites can accurately predict your preferences is usually down to a Data Scientist making use of clever machine learning algorithms.
AI Product Manager These professionals decide what AI should be built, why it matters and how it should be used. They ensure AI isn’t used as a toy, but it actually benefits the business.
AI Researcher AI researchers push the boundaries of what AI can do through experiments and innovation. Their work leads to new algorithms, techniques and breakthroughs.
Computer Vision Engineer These engineers build systems that interpret images and video. For example, they ensure that self-driving cars stop at red traffic signs and aren’t going to crash into objects or pedestrians. Their systems can also be used in hospital scanners.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) Engineer With the rise of chatbots, voice assistants (Siri, Alexa), machine translation (Google Translate) NLP engineers are in high demand. They enable machines to read, write, summarise and translate text.
AI Beyond the Tech Sector
AI is also reshaping industries where human interaction remains vital. There is expected to be a growing number of jobs and opportunities in the following sectors.
AI is transforming healthcare including medical data analysis, early disease detection and patient monitoring. This has increased demand for Health Informatics Specialists who manage healthcare data and systems. AI also reduces time spent on basic administrative tasks, freeing up more time for patient care. Growth is expected in online health support, community care and health education.
AI will accelerate scientific discovery, creating more demand for expertise in medical science.
There’s a growing need for teachers and trainers to not only understand and teach AI but also to use AI-powered teaching tools. This is not just in schools, but in workplaces too.
With the rise in renewable energy, AI experts will be essential for analysing data to advance sustainability.
How to Prepare
If you’re interested in an AI-related career, there are multiple routes. You can choose a university degree or an apprenticeship.
For full-time university study, look for degrees with titles such as Maths, Computer Science, Robotics or Artificial Intelligence. Always check course content directly with universities to ensure programmes are keeping pace with a fast-moving labour market.
If you prefer to earn while you learn, data science and computing-related degree apprenticeships are an excellent alternative.
The good news is simple. AI won’t replace human wisdom. Machines can automate tasks, but humans are still needed to guide, interpret and apply these technologies responsibly.
In truth, no one knows exactly how AI will shape our future. What is clear is that now is not the time to bury your head in the sand. The best response is stay curious, informed, adaptable and aware of the impact of AI on the world of work.
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