few days ago, one of my friends shared an interesting 1:21-minute video with the title: AI will take over everything. The video made an emotional appeal for learning AI skills. It showed how people in various professions were in trouble because of the proliferation of AI. The future of work is a hot topic nowadays. Some people see an existential threat while others are calling AI a bubble that will burst soon.

As various companies developing AI continue to claim ever-improved capabilities, scepticism with regard to these claims and promises and the prospects of intelligent machines has also grown. A recent study by Microsoft has identified the professions most likely to be affected by AI. Professions requiring only mental skills are predictably high on the list. Those requiring physical labour appear to be safe. Robotics and automation after all require more than just computing power. They also require physical systems and materials.

However, researchers are working day in and day out to overcome the challenges related to material and interface. Intelligence in cyber-physical systems is coming more rapidly than the controlled agility in their movement. Getting fully autonomous robots and machines to undertake tasks like arranging your messy bookshelf or fixing your leaking sink will take longer.

As far as mental skills are concerned, tools have been making strides so rapidly that it is hard to believe. The professions built on language, research and communication are strongly affected by AI. An article titled AI2027 (authored by Kokotajlo and team) mapped out the entire plan and future of humanity in such detail that reading the piece makes people shiver. Interestingly, the article has two endings. The choice is left to the reader. The majority of those who read this well-thought-out piece read both.

Talking about the creative art industry, everyone is going bananas. (A new tool by the name Nano Banana by Google, Inc, has been making headlines). Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated character reportedly created in 2024 by Xicoia, the AI division of the production company Particle6 Group, has already shaken up the film industry. Sora, an AI video creator app by OpenAI, Inc, along with other similar video creator apps, is making headlines by showcasing its capability to produce cinematic videos with controlled limb movements by the characters. Creating art pieces, studio-level photographs and cinematic videos has never been so easy.

AI’s strongest impact is on the domain of communication and research. Some tools now write fairly good lyrics and storylines with minimal prompts. There are dedicated apps for music composition. Everything is pointing towards the involvement of AI in the film and music industry. The capabilities of the models are increasing at a rapid rate. The need for language translators, note takers, summarisers and customer care agents is diminishing. There are capable AI agents ready to do the job.

The future of work has long been under discussion at various international forums. I remember in 2020, I joined an online course offered by the World Bank. It was an extensive four-week online course with multiple resources handed over at the start of each week. There was a concern well before the launch of ChatGPT and other AI tools regarding the future of work. The discussion has become more intense with every passing day. Recently, I happened to interact with a class of physicians. Radiologists were quite concerned about the capabilities of the AI models. They feared that in the future, their role would be diminished as computer vision has advanced to a level that an AI tool can detect, recognise and identify the abnormalities effectively and generate excellent reports.

Artificial general intelligence and artificial super intelligence are the new frontiers for companies developing AI technology. AI enthusiasts now declare that they work with the AI rather than just using AI.

Geoffrey Hinton, the renowned AI deep learning pioneer, predicted in 2016 (?) that within five years, AI would surpass human radiologists in diagnosing and analysing medical scans, implying that the demand for human radiologists would sharply decline. Hinton’s statement, “The first-time humans are facing something more intelligent than themselves,” caused a stir. However, contrary to his prediction, the demand for radiologists has not decreased. In fact, it has reached an all-time. As AI has made certain tasks faster and cheaper, the number of scans being performed has increased. This, in turn has raised the need for radiologists to interpret results and develop treatment plans. This phenomenon aligns with Jevons’ Paradox: increased efficiency through technology often reveals increased demand and expands the market for associated human services.

“Humans will have a chance to do something truly worthy of them as all the mundane work will be done by intelligent machines,” one of the scholars confidently told me as I asked for his opinion about the rise of AI and intelligent machines. But now a majority of people are pondering what exactly is “truly worthy” of them. Most people are surprised to see the capabilities of AI tools. At the same time, they are becoming sceptical about their own role in their professions. Albania’s prime minister has even appointed an AI minister. A few days ago, I watched a video about a school in Austin, Texas, with no teachers. The children were learning using modern AI tools and digital devices.

CEO Mike Rowe confidently said: “AI is coming for the coders, not yet for the welders,” reflecting the resilience and growing demand in the trades. He argued that every “frontline” vocation, from welding to pipe fitting, is now experiencing a boom, and AI won’t touch that. Obviously, robots have limitations because of material and control issues. However, companies like Boston Dynamics are making every effort to reach the level of accuracy, precision and agility required to put robots in the daily lives of people. The tipping point is yet to come. It may require a couple of years. Until that time, human presence at physical labour workplaces will remain. Autonomous vehicles are passing through rigorous trials and tests. It is a matter of time before drivers and pilots become redundant.

Artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial super intelligence (ASI) are the new frontiers for companies developing AI technology. AI enthusiasts now declare that they work with AI rather than just using AI. From marketing to teaching, AI is making strides to dominate the landscape. The future of work is uncertain as people are seeing advancements in AI-enabled machines. Recently, Elon Musk very strongly responded to a tweet mentioning the replacement of about 60,000 workers in Amazon warehouses by robots. He said that AI and robots will replace all jobs as work will be optional, like growing your own vegetables, instead of buying them from the store. Britain’s Channel 4 has aired a programme, Will AI take my job?, with an AI presenter in October 2025. In the closing moments, the AI reveals its identity and says, “AI is going to touch everybody’s lives in the next few years. For some, it will take their jobs. Call centre workers? Customer service agents? Maybe even TV presenters like me. Because I’m not real. In a British TV first, I’m an AI presenter. Some of you might have guessed: I don’t exist, I wasn’t on location reporting this story. My image and voice were generated using AI.” According to Geoffrey Hinton, humanity will be facing the biggest challenge since its genesis: survival in the face of intelligent machines.

As I was writing this, my phone screen lit up with notifications from WhatsApp of the messages sent by my brother, who shared his pictures shot in a studio in different outfits. He is a handsome young person with a degree in veterinary sciences. Looking at the style, lighting condition and overall composition, I could not imagine that he had generated these images using prompts on an AI tool. A veterinary doctor has suddenly become a professional photographer. Seeing my brother’s AI photos, it’s clear the future isn’t just about adapting to survive; it’s about learning to create in ways we never thought possible. The only question is, are we ready?

The writer is a professor at the National University of Sciences and Technology.