These jobs are highly impacted by AI as they heavily depend on AI tools for tasks like seeking and interpreting information, internal and external communication, creative thinking, editing written materials, reading documents, explaining technical details, and other intermediary work skills.

Through this study, the researchers aimed to find out: to what extent is AI automating versus augmenting work activities?

They found that AI can either raise wages by helping workers (augmentation) or lower wages and cut jobs through automation. But this depends on how companies choose to use the technology. For example, if AI makes developers 50% more productive, a company might hire more developers to build more, or hire fewer since each one can now do more work.

The data only shows how AI is being used, not what companies will decide to do with it. So, we look at automation vs. augmentation by measuring which tasks AI does on its own and which tasks it assists with. 

“We find a weak correlation between AI applicability scores and educational requirements, with occupations requiring a Bachelor’s degree slightly more affected than jobs with lower requirements,” the researchers said. 

Therefore, jobs requiring higher educational qualifications are more impacted compared to jobs with lower educational requirements. Similar findings were observed in a recent study by the Dubai Government Human Resources Department, which showed that jobs of higher-educated employees are more likely to be exposed to generative AI.

Following this, the researchers underlined 40 jobs that have lowest AI applicability such as:

1. Phlebotomists
2. Nursing Assistants
3. Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
4. Helpers–Painters, Plasterers, ...
5. Embalmers
6. Plant and System Operators, All Other
7. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
8. Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers
9. Ship Engineers
10. Tire Repairers and Changers
11. Prosthodontists
12. Helpers–Production Workers
13. Highway Maintenance Workers
14. Medical Equipment Preparers
15. Packaging and Filling Machine Op.
16. Machine Feeders and Offbearers
17. Dishwashers
18. Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
19. Supervisors of Firefighters
20. Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
21. Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
22. Massage Therapists
23. Surgical Assistants
24. Tire Builders
25. Helpers–Roofers
26. Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Op.
27. Roofers
28. Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
29. Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
30. Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Op.
31. Logging Equipment Operators
32. Motorboat Operators
33. Orderlies
34. Floor Sanders and Finishers
35. Pile Driver Operators
36. Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equip. Op.
37. Foundry Mold and Coremakers
38. Water Treatment Plant and System Op.
39. Bridge and Lock Tenders
40. Dredge Operators

Is HR on the list? The researchers have not identified HR roles on either list, but that doesn’t mean HR is unaffected by AI. In fact, HR is at the forefront of this shift, transforming itself to lead workforce change across industries. HR functions, much like the jobs highly impacted by AI, have high AI applicability. And those that don’t adapt risk becoming obsolete.

What can roles with high AI applicability do to sustain?

To avoid job displacement and become AI Agent bosses, people in roles with high AI applicability should focus on the following to stay relevant in the future of work: 

Upskilling: They need to focus on developing irreplaceable skills like emotional intelligence, critical thinking, problem-solving, and people management. To become “Agent Bosses,” they must work on improving judgment, creativity, and decision-making skills where AI is still doubted. Additionally, a key skill everyone must learn is how to work with AI tools, making them their companions and leveraging their benefits to perform tasks more efficiently.

Multitasking: Industry 4.0 is not for people performing redundant tasks in a single role; it requires individuals with cross-functional skills. For example, an HR professional with business, marketing, and financial expertise. People need to develop human-centric skills like customer interactions, advisory, supervisory, and coordination activities, where AI will struggle with human nuances.

Agility: This quality is the need of the hour, as economic diversification unfolds across industries where human skills remain in demand. Therefore, monitoring labor market trends for emerging roles in AI supervision, ethics, safety, and human augmentation services is essential.

Human + AI Mindset: AI is not a threat, people empowered with AI are. Instead of viewing AI as a challenge, learn to oversee and guide it, ensuring that outputs are qualitative, ethical, and relevant. Additionally, learning to interpret AI-generated data for business or operational contexts becomes increasingly important.

What HR can do to mitigate associated risks amidst the human talent gap?

During this shift, HR must play a strategic role. A few things they can do to prepare their workforce for this shift are:

Talent Upskilling and Reskilling Initiatives: HR leaders today understand the significance of AI across industries and are already preparing their workforce to work alongside new technologies. If in doubt, HR can start by mapping AI’s impact by role to identify which job roles are at higher risk of task automation (even if full job automation is unlikely). They can roll out targeted learning programs focusing on digital literacy, AI collaboration, critical thinking, and human-centric skills. Additionally, HR can introduce and encourage certifications in AI-supervised operations, ethics, and oversight roles to future-proof jobs

Redesign Job Roles: HRs can start redefining job descriptions to include more creative problem-solving, relationship-building, and judgement-based tasks. They can ensure routine tasks automated by AI are replaced with meaningful responsibilities rather than downsizing headcount. Additionally, promote “Job Crafting” initiatives, where employees co-design their evolving role with managers.

Promote Human-AI Collaboration Culture: HR can design intentional culture where AI is seen as a co-pilot, not a replacement. They need to regularly train their workforce to leverage AI for productivity gains while enhancing their own human judgement, ethics, and emotional intelligence. Additionally, they need to recognize and reward AI-augmented productivity rather than only automation-driven cost reductions.

Ethical AI Governance Framework: One of the biggest concern today is AI governance, especially from an ethical standpoint. Therefore, HR needs to work in synergy with IT and legal teams to implement governance structures that ensure AI is deployed responsibly and ethically, with a human-in-the-loop model. HR must also be involved in AI policy-making to ensure fairness, inclusivity, and employee well-being are embedded in every decision.

Transparency: The fear of AI replacing jobs exists, no matter how much we reassure employees. Therefore, when planning major AI adoption strategies, HR needs to communicate openly with employees to build trust. They should run change management programs that address concerns about job security and share success stories of employees who have successfully transitioned to AI-augmented roles.

You may also like:

• Role of HR isn’t just to adopt technology but to make it work for people: David Green
• DP World’s Gaylynne Neill talks about ‘women on board’, leadership pipeline, tech adoption & more
• Secretary General NCOSH: Mental Health at Work Needs Leadership and Culture Shift
• Leading the Amazon Way: 16 Principles that set the standard for everyone, not just its employees

The key takeaway is that whether jobs are highly impacted by AI or not, human-AI synergy is the only way the workforce will survive Industry 4.0 shift while remaining relevant and sustainable. HR has a pivotal role to play in this journey by helping employees stay agile, future-focused, and AI-empowered.