Jobs that cannot be replaced by AI. What man has and will never have artificial intelligence

The fear that artificial intelligence will replace humans in many professions has become one of the strongest concerns in recent years. In reality, there are areas where artificial intelligence can support the work of humans, but cannot replace it, because it lacks the very elements that make us human: the senses, empathy, intuition, and above all, lived life experience.

There are many jobs that cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence. Archive photo

“In general, everything related to analytics has already started to be replaced by AI. It's true that we cannot compete with an algorithm that has 100 thousand times more processing power or faster than human. If we have to read 30 books to become experts in a field, AI can read and interpret them in milliseconds. This is especially true for fields that involve exact data, such as financial or scientific analysis, where there is less room for interpretation. This processing capacity does not mean the disappearance of professionals, but the transformation of the way they work”, points out Andra Nicolau, specialized in mathematics, informatics and economics and with a career built between Silicon Valley, London and Bucharest.

What jobs will not be able to be replaced by AI

The IT specialist compiled a list of areas in which AI cannot replace humans:

1. Professions focused on emotion and compassion: medicine, psychotherapy, education.

In medicine, says the expert, AI becomes a support, not a substitute: “In this sense, doctors will not be replaced by artificial intelligence, but will be supported by it, to establish faster and more accurate diagnoses“. Technology can process thousands of pages of data, propose directions for analysis or support the field of research, but the work itself and the final decision remain deeply human, built on experience, responsibility and direct contact with the patient, an aspect that is also found in other professions that require human contact, such as wellness areas with fitness trainers, massage, chiropractic sua kinetotherapy.

In the same direction, jobs based on emotional intelligence cannot be replaced. In psychotherapy, specialists can use digital tools for monitoring and documentation, but the essence of therapy remains living dialogue, empathy, attention to nuances, the therapeutic relationship. “Although there are cases where people use ChatGPT as a therapist, it tends to give limited responses to the information it has been trained with. He can adjust to all kinds of contingencies, but he is not trained to pick up certain nuances and thus he can miss essential aspects”says Nicolau. Learners, educators, professors can use educational platforms, but children need more than information. They need voice, gaze, authentic reactions and human interaction. Especially in the first phase of the training process, such as kindergarten, where the human side is more needed.

2. Professions related to the senses: In general, AI will not be able to replace roles that rely on the use of human senses: taste, smell, touch. “Sensors capable of replicating a human's sophistication have yet to be created. Even our brain cannot be replicated by AI, being an extraordinarily complex machine that we have a long way to go before we fully understand it. AI will never replace chefs, for example, just as taste cannot be replicated by robots, but it will be able to give them ideas for creative recipes.”

3. Also, everything related to the artistic sidein which, says Andra “now it is felt when something is done through AI. And a picture painted by hand by a human will always have a much greater emotional impact than something created digitally or done with the precision and perfection of 3D equipment. Also in this category, AI will never be able to replace the emotion of an artistic act created and offered by dancers or actors, in live performances”.

4. Professions where decisions are based on human experience, such as the legal field. “Similarly, in the legal field, algorithms can provide informational support, but they cannot replace the finesse of human judgment. Lawyers will not be replaced by AI, but there will be enough applications to provide legal aid to ordinary people as a complement to the work of the profession.”

5. Manual processing work duplicated by human experience, such as farmers.

Even if robots will work the land or pick fruit, manual intervention will still be required in this area. Automation and robots can make physical work easier, but they cannot replace years of experience working with the land, with the seasons, with the subtle changes of the weather. “In Romania we have many farmers. It is possible that in the future robots will be developed to help them work their land in an automated way. But AI will not be able to completely replace the experience of a farmer. On the contrary, that farmer will now have more time at his disposal, which he can use for other activities.”

6. Or those specialized in repairs and construction such as plumbers or electricians, whose work is too detailed to be done in a fully automated way.

For Andra Nicolau, the difference between humans and algorithms is clear: “AI can process, recombine information, save time, but it cannot feel. And this limit, she says, is a good thing. It protects our essence. Emotional intelligence, empathy, the ability to connect with one another, to adjust our responses by tone, pause, gaze, remain deeply human territory. And the jobs that rely on these qualities cannot be replaced by any model of artificial intelligence, no matter how advanced it becomes”.

Beyond professions, Artificial Intelligence will never be able to replace human physical contact, nor places of physical social relaxation such as bars, restaurants, etc.

“AI can't replace friendship, although there is currently a startup trying to create an everyday digital companion (it's not very well received, though). However, AI can be an alternative for elderly people who have no one to talk to. There are already some companies that offer teleservices where single seniors can call to talk to someone. Here it seems to me that there is a positive impact, because better alternatives still do not exist, and some asylums are a complete disaster. Even so, neither do these teleservices they cannot replace the company of a human being”, concludes the expert.