Worried about AI taking your job? Here’s how to stop it.

Imagine living in a simulation designed by artificial intelligence robots that keeps humans asleep while the machine world thrives.

To clarify, we’re describing the plot of the 1999 film The Matrix. But it’s understandable if you thought we were describing the increasing presence of AI in our lives.

Matrix fans will know that it’s been 25 years since Neo discovered he’s The One. The film is iconic, and it changed culture. The memes are still relevant. However, the parallel between the film’s machine vs. human storyline and the conversations around AI today is most striking.

In the same way that artificial intelligence controlled humans in the world of The Matrix, many people in today’s working world are concerned about AI taking control – and, ultimately, our jobs.

Already, Google, Salesforce and Duolingo have replaced staff with AI. IBM and BT have said they plan to do so in the future. AI is coming. So, how can we stop it taking our jobs? Is there a way to control it? And, critically, do we need to learn kung-fu?

AI is everywhere, it’s all around us

Let’s take a step back.

While the human job scrapheap doesn’t sound appealing, it’s clear that AI is having a transformative impact on our lives. Whether you remember inviting AI into your home or not, it’s made itself very comfortable.

Hey Alexa, play Mr Brightside.

Data shows that a huge 40% of people already communicate with digital AI assistants like Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant. These assistants can learn your voice, recognise your speech patterns, monitor your environment and even alert you to emergencies in your area.

If you like listening to music, you’re likely interacting with an AI algorithm. Streaming giant Spotify already uses AI to produce personalised music recommendations, and the company currently has an enhanced service in beta testing that will not only create highly curated playlists for you, but it’ll also be able to rationalise why it chose the songs it did.

Elsewhere, the social media app TikTok recently revealed that it is planning to release an AI chatbot tool that will connect its users to different areas of the existing app. The ‘Genie’ chatbot will enable in-stream questions and responses. To quote tech publication, Semafor:

“In May in the US, the viral video app filed to trademark the name “Genie” for an AI chatbot software that will, among other functions, simulate conversations, facilitate interaction and communication between humans and AI, and produce human-like speech and text.”

Indeed, it seems that AI is the new race to the top amongst the many apps and services vying for our attention – and we’re all participating whether we know it or not.

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AI’s influence is also far-reaching outside of the home, from healthcare to sustainability. Within the medical profession, AI is used to help detect diseases like cancer early on and create tailored healthcare solutions that can improve a patient’s quality of life.

Worldwide, scientists use AI to predict natural disasters, helping to mitigate the damage to lives and livelihoods. It is also used to help enhance public safety through predictive policing and crime prevention.

AI is transforming businesses too. And here’s where the anxiety kicks in.

AI is doing our work for us

Many businesses now use AI to automate processes and eliminate mundane, difficult and laborious tasks.

For example, AI tools like Grain save teams time and effort. Grain is an AI meeting recorder that not only takes meeting notes but also produces accurate summaries and next steps.

Those within the product, tech and creative space are becoming more efficient with tools like Figma AI that helps teams visualise complex ideas into simple diagrams. It can also create processes, edit images and create code.

And of course, there’s ChatGPT, powered by Open AI. Many businesses are using the platform to generate written content, get ideas, brainstorm, compose emails, and even find customer data that’ll help them make informed business decisions.

Efficiencies are good. But there’s an easy-to-see flip side. Alarmingly, The Guardian reports that in the near future, “almost 8 million UK jobs could be lost to artificial intelligence in a jobs apocalypse.”

The report states that entry-level, part-time, and administrative jobs are expected to be replaced by AI. That’s a lot of jobs being done by real people that will be displaced by machines.

While AI is certainly chipping away at rote work, the worry is that it won’t stop there.

But some experts are convinced that AI won’t steal all our jobs just yet – with some jobs seemingly safer than others.

For example, jobs within science, medicine and law are currently insulated from the machines. As are highly hands-on jobs like nursing and care work. Also, trades jobs like plumbers, electricians and construction workers are considered safe.

The argument is, however, that no job is truly immune from AI. But for now, it is more likely that AI will continue to replace rote tasks, rather than jobs, across all sectors.

AI may enable humans to spend more time on tasks that a machine couldn’t usurp – tasks that require out-of-the-box thinking, creativity, and interpersonal communication. And it’ll help boost our productivity even more.

Across all industries, roles could evolve to become more sophisticated and intellectually demanding. We may even be used to quality control AI’s rote work.

Will AI get paid, instead of us?

But if AI is doing the laborious work and humans are getting more work done at a higher level, then shouldn’t we get paid more?

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that we’ll be paid more. Fortunately, giving our wages to artificial intelligence doesn’t make sense. But there’s a catch.

Let’s rewind back to The Guardian’s predicted job apocalypse. If AI is doing the work of many highly valued but low-skill industries, then the people affected will work less and, therefore, get paid less.

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And here’s the rub that affects all employees. With the rise of remote and hybrid working, workplace monitoring has also risen. According to Gartner research, the number of employers tracking their employees has risen to 60% since the beginning of the pandemic. Gartner predicts this number will rise to 70% in three years.

Workforce monitoring could start to affect pay – and guess who’s doing the monitoring? That’s right – it’s AI. Workforce monitoring can involve trackpad activity, timed screenshots, hidden meeting recordings, and webcam access.

If AI reports that employees are not performing or are spending too much time on other things, then an employer will have the data to make wage-based decisions.

But equally, when it comes to wages, AI could have a positive effect. AI tools and programmes could help educate and upskill people quicker and cheaper than higher education. It could, therefore, help workers with less technical or industry knowledge get access to higher–paid jobs because they’re working alongside AI as colleagues.

Forming a collaborative approach with AI could be the future – and it certainly looks like a smart strategy for protecting your job from machines.

How to stop AI from taking your job

It would be disappointing to lose your job to AI. But if you’re going to beat the robots, you must act now to secure your career.

1. Understand your sector

Currently, creative disciplines like copywriting, content writing, design, and video production appear more at risk from AI than professional services or trade services. This is partly due to the recent strides made in the creative field, with AI tools like Canva, Midjourney, and Jasper starting to redefine the industry.

Whatever your sector, make sure you understand how AI could change it. Right now, you could say the creatives have the advantage because AI is now less of an unknown within the space.

Discover the risks to your discipline and consider your job’s rote tasks. Think about what AI could realistically replace, and also consider the distinctly human parts of your role and start upskilling them.

2. Actually use AI

You don’t have to be a content writer or designer to start using AI – there’s an AI tool for everything. Embracing AI, understanding its capabilities and integrating it into your existing job will put you miles ahead.

If you haven’t done so already, download and start using some AI tools. Get used to prompting it and seeing what happens. Here’s a list to get you started:

• For project management, try Asana Intelligence
• For global HR and workforce management, try Deel AI
• For team productivity, try Notion AI
• For general task automation, try Zapier
• For digital advertising, try Albert AI
• For sales, try io

3. Reinvent what you do

It’s true that AI is currently synonymous with technology and jobs within the tech space. If you’re keen to dodge the algorithms, then you’ll probably want to avoid jobs within tech industries.

The conversation around AI has highlighted that there is an increased interest in items and work that require a very human element to create – so perhaps you could reinvent your career by looking into distinctly human professions. A few options could be:

• Healthcare: nurse, counsellor, carer, therapist
• Creative arts: actor, artist, musician
• Lifestyle: personal trainer, fitness coach, hairdresser
• Education: teacher, instructor, specialised assistant

4. Set up your own company

The simple way to stop AI from taking your job is to not give it a job to take.

Go your own way by forming your own business. Here’s where you, as a business owner instead of an employee, get to control AI’s impact. When you’re employed by a company, large or small, you cannot control AI’s potential to take your job or the decisions of those around you.

So, set up your own business and beat the machines by telling AI who’s boss. You’ll get to control how you use AI, have an open playing field for harnessing its benefits and use it to drive efficiencies that work for you – literally.

You wouldn’t be the only person creating a different path for themselves. In the last financial year (2023-2024), Companies House registrations grew by 4.6%. That’s an enormous 890,684 new businesses registered in just one year.

A hugely positive part of this is that female-founded businesses are on the rise. In 2023, there were a record 164,000 companies incorporated by women: up 4% on 2022 and 13% on 2021. This rise indicates the path many people choose to go down, whether as a side hustle, new income stream or full-time job.

Despite the challenging economy, people are betting on themselves, forming their own companies, and controlling their futures.

Feeling inspired?

While it’s understandable to be nervous about AI, there are opportunities to understand and harness it. If you’ve been inspired to set up your own company, we’d love to help. 1st Formations offers a range of company formation packages – and we’re not just here to get you started – we’re with you every step of the way with a range of services to help your company grow and keep it compliant.

Thanks for reading

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or leave a comment below.