21 new jobs to help you survive in the age of AI

Cyber Calamity Forecaster, Head of Machine Personality Design, Flying Car Developer. While nearly a third of jobs could be at risk of automation by the mid-2030s, these are just a handful of the human roles set to emerge when the machines finally take over, according to a report by IT services firm Cognizant.

The rise of AI (artificial intelligence), robotics and smart automation has potential to boost global GDP by US$15 trillion within the next decade, and it’s hard not to indulge in visions of a world where driverless taxis take you to work, drones deliver your Amazon order, and a ‘robo-adviser’ can quickly sort your finances.

With the rise of automation affecting every industry, from healthcare to transportation, and manufacturing to agriculture, however, how this dizzying technological growth will impact our day-to-day grind remains a pretty ubiquitous point of concern. And that’s not surprising when somewhere between 400 to 800 million jobs hang in the balance.

For those feeling the tap of a cold, robotic hand on their shoulder, however, Cognizant sheds a crumb of comfort in revealing 21 new vocational opportunities for humans to seize in the age of automation, in a 2018 follow-on edition to its Guide to Getting and Staying Employed in the Next 10 Years.

“Once again, we’ve oriented the jobs around the two axes of tech-centricity and time. Some of the jobs will be highly technical, while others will be more low-tech,” reads the report. “Some are already observable in the marketplace (if you squint), while some are years away from coming to fruition. Some will propel a career for 60 years, while others will be ‘gigs’ that come and go.”

From the sublime to the somewhat ridiculous, here are those 21 new jobs which could emerge to oil the cogs of the machines.

High tech-centricity, time-scale near

• Cyber Attack Agent
• Voice UX Designer
• Smart Home Design Manager
• Algorithm Bias Auditor
• Head of Machine & Personality Design
• Cyber Calamity Forecaster
• Visual Identity Defender

High tech-centricity, time-scale far

• Haptic Interface Programmer
• Machine Risk Officer
• Flying Car Developer

Low tech-centricity, time-scale near

• Tidewater Architect
• Esports Arena Builder
• Data Trash Engineer
• Uni4Life Coordinator
• Head of Business Behavior
• Joy Adjutant
• Juvenile Cybercrime Rehabilitation Counselor
• VR Arcade Manager
• Vertical Farm Consultant

Low tech-centricity, time-scale far

• Subscription Management Specialist
• Chief Purpose Planner

While roles such as Esports Arena Builder and VR Arcade Manager may seem a little tenuous, there will certainly be a rapidly growing need for specialists in data handling and cybersecurity.

A Data Trash Engineer, for example, would be responsible for turning company’s banks of unused data into valuable insights to inform business decisions. A head of machine personality design, meanwhile, will become increasingly important in the advancement of AI assistants, including chatbots and virtual assistants among a wealth of use cases.

At the same time, it’s not hard to see how Juvenile Cybercrime Rehabilitation Counselors could become commonplace with the temptations of easy money and seemingly victimless crime luring an increasing number of digital-savvy juniors.

If you’re not yet ready to consider a career change to a flying car developer just yet, if nothing else, the report encourages us to think differently about our place in an increasingly automated world, or as Cognizant puts it; “However work changes in the future, our foundational belief is that human imagination and ingenuity will be the source of human work ad infinitum.”

Are there any roles you think are missing from this list? Let us know below.