A leading job site has compiled a list of the fastest and highest paying jobs with the lowest risk of being taken over by artificial intelligence in the near future.
US job board Resume Genius has listed the top 10 AI-proof jobs, from best to worst paid. At number one are medical assistants, followed by nurse practitioners and veterinarians in third place.
Medical and health service managers ranked fourth, followed by physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, audiologists, epidemiologists, orthopaedic instrument makers and prosthetists.
With an average salary of $160,000 per year, physician assistants perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that require high levels of dexterity, complex problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, making the job unsuitable for AI.
Nurses also need to have complex problem solving skills, creativity and strong interpersonal skills, which are not strengths of AI.
Both medical roles also require complex hand movements and precise coordination, something machines have not yet been able to accomplish.
Veterinarians, who earn an average of $136,000 a year, must have extensive knowledge of animal biology, a high level of dexterity for surgery, and interpersonal skills to communicate with animal owners—skills that AI cannot yet adequately reproduce.
Managers in the medical and healthcare sector need to have judgment, management skills and interpersonal skills. AI is not suited for this because it has to constantly respond to changing requirements and is also difficult to automate.
Nurse practitioners are one of 10 jobs that US employment website CV Genius says are unlikely to be taken over by artificial intelligence
AI also struggles to mimic the dexterity and interpersonal skills that physiotherapists require.
Occupational therapists also have a high degree of personal interaction and must be able to adapt to the needs of each individual patient. This makes AI unsuitable.
The degree of personalized care, which requires high adaptability and emotional intelligence, also limits the application of AI for speech therapy.
While AI can help diagnose hearing problems, the emotional and psychological support that audiologists provide is still best suited for humans.
Veterinarians are listed as one of the jobs unlikely to be replaced by AI in the near future
Epidemiologists use complex data analysis and interpretation to determine patterns and health outcomes. AI can help with that, but they also need judgment and ethical insight that machines lack.
Orthotists and prosthetists must have a level of manual dexterity and clinical judgment beyond current AI capabilities.
All ten occupations are predicted to grow by at least 10 percent over the next decade. In the US, they all pay well above the median salary of US$71,000 ($A106,000).
This comes after administrative/office support staff, retail staff and those working in the hospitality industry were identified as the people in need of replacement as AI increasingly takes over Australia’s workforce.
Research from workplace technology company Service Now suggests that 1.3 million jobs in Australia will be automated over the next four years, a game-changer for the workforce.