The 10 Jobs Most at Risk of Being Replaced by AI

According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, AI and automation will displace 92 million jobs globally by 2030, even as 170 million new roles emerge.

Jobs that are highly likely to be affected by artificial intelligence are those that feature structural workflows, repetitive tasks, systematic decision-making, and minimal use of judgment. 

Some of the careers that will be impacted by AI technology include data entry, customer service, accounting/bookkeeping, telemarketing, and legal research. 

Nevertheless, AI is transforming the nature of work rather than displacing it entirely. Most of these careers have evolved into roles that now require more supervision, solving problems and teamwork with artificial intelligence. 

What Are the Top 10 Jobs Most at Risk from AI in 2026? 

The top 10 jobs most at risk from AI in 2026 are listed below:

1. Data Entry Clerks

2. Customer Service Representatives

3. Telemarketers

4. Bookkeeping and Accounting Clerks

5. Proofreaders and Copyeditors

6. Market Research Analysts

7. Paralegals and Legal Research Assistants

8. Translators and Interpreters

9. Retail Cashiers

10. Junior and Entry-level Software Developers

1. Data Entry Clerks

Data Entry Clerks sit at the very top of any "jobs AI will replace" list because it involves almost no judgement, just transcription, formatting, and input. 

Optical character recognition combined with generative AI can now extract, validate, and enter data with minimal human oversight, making this one of the clearest cases of AI job displacement already underway.

Automation can handle all the repetitive tasks of a Data Entry Clerk on a day-to-day basis, like:

Current Status: Companies are recruiting far fewer junior-level data entry operators but focusing more on buying the software that automates the whole process of document management.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Generative AI and Jobs (2025) report, data entry clerks are one of the occupations with the highest exposure to generative AI because their work is highly structured, repetitive, and rules-based.

2. Customer Service Representatives

Customer Service Representatives are facing backlash as AI chatbots and voice agents can now resolve a large share of scripted, tier-1 queries: refunds, order tracking, FAQs without human involvement. 

Analysts covering 2025-2026 layoff trends note that customer service scripting is among the functions where AI is replacing jobs fastest, though complex complaints and emotionally sensitive cases still route to humans.

With the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, it has been automated for many of the following customer contacts that were previously done by people have been automated.

Current status: Human representatives are necessary for dealing with situations where there is a need for:

Reuters (2025) reports that large outsourcing firms, along with firms providing customer services, have been using AI assistants that can process routine customer queries and reduce the need for conventional front-line workers while increasing the need for those dealing with complicated situations.

Ready to build an AI career? Discover How to Build a Career in Artificial Intelligence and take the first step toward a future-ready profession 

3. Telemarketers

Predictive dialling, AI-generated scripts, and voice synthesis have made outbound calling one of the most automatable functions in sales. 

Roles built entirely around repeating a pitch to a list of numbers offer little that current AI systems can't already replicate at a fraction of the cost.

Microsoft Research's "Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations" (2025) identifies telemarketing among occupations with high AI applicability because AI performs well in scripted conversations, information sharing, and repetitive customer interactions. 

Current situation: Pure outbound calling roles continue to shrink, while sales professionals who specialise in relationship building, enterprise sales, negotiations, and consultative selling remain in strong demand. 

4. Bookkeeping and Accounting Clerks

Reconciliation, categorisation, and basic ledger entry are exactly the kind of structured, repetitive tasks generative AI tools excel at. 

Several 2025–2026 workforce reports flag finance-adjacent clerical roles as high-exposure, even as more strategic finance, FP&A, and treasury roles continue to see hiring growth.

World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 lists bookkeeping, payroll, and accounting support occupations among administrative roles expected to decline as AI automates financial reconciliation, invoice processing, and transaction categorisation. 

Current situation: Routine bookkeeping positions face slowing demand, while accountants with analytical, advisory, and technology skills continue to experience healthy employment growth. 

Want to stay ahead of tomorrow's job market? Read How AI Is Helping To Identify Skills Gaps And Future Jobs and prepare for what's next. 

5. Proofreaders and Copy Editors

AI writing assistants can catch grammar, tone, and style issues almost instantly, shrinking demand for junior-level proofreading.

Editors who bring judgement, brand voice, and subject-matter expertise remain in demand, but pure line-editing has become significantly automatable.

Today, numerous publishers, marketing firms, and companies utilise AI as the primary editor before handing over the project to human editors.

However, AI cannot always substitute editorial judgment. Editors with experience are vital for checking facts, ensuring brand voice, addressing legal concerns, meeting publishing criteria, cultural awareness, and reviewing the logical flow of ideas.

Current situation: There is a decrease in demand for junior proofreading positions, whereas editors possessing expertise on subjects, content strategy, SEO, and editorial skills are still valuable.

6. Market Research Analysts

AI models can now synthesise survey data, sentiment, and market trends faster than a human analyst compiling the same report manually. 

Entry-level research and reporting tasks are increasingly automated, while analysts who interpret findings strategically for clients retain their value.

LinkedIn's Work Change Report (2025), along with Microsoft's occupational analysis reports that AI is rapidly changing analytical roles by automating research, summarisation, and reporting tasks, while employers increasingly value professionals who can interpret insights and support strategic decisions. 

Current situation: Entry-level reporting roles are becoming increasingly automated, while demand is growing for analysts who combine AI tools with statistical expertise, business strategy, and decision-making capabilities. 

Curious which industries AI will transform first? Explore 5 Industries That Will Be Most Affected By AI before the future arrives. 

7. Paralegals and Legal Research Assistants

Generative AI tools can draft standard contracts, summarise case law, and flag relevant precedents in minutes. 

International Labour Organisation (ILO) (2025) report explains that paralegals and legal research assistants are increasingly exposed because AI can summarise legal documents, review contracts, and retrieve precedents. 

Even with all these developments, however, artificial intelligence cannot substitute for legally trained practitioners who would take care of legal analysis, negotiation, litigation support, client advising, and making ethical judgements.

Current situation: AI is helping in minimising mundane legal research and enhancing lawyer productivity. The job of paralegals is evolving into legal operations, compliance management, client management, and AI-powered document review.

8. Translators and Interpreters

Neural machine translation has closed much of the quality gap for routine business and web content. Literary, legal, and highly contextual interpretation work still commands a premium, but everyday translation tasks are increasingly AI-first.

This has greatly lowered the need for translation.

AI still struggles to cope with cultural elements, jokes, legal terms, medicine, literature, diplomacy, and interpretation due to the importance of context.

Moreover, Microsoft Research's recent occupation analysis indicates that interpreters and translators fall into the category of professions where AI can be widely applied, as many language tasks are automated.

Current situation: General translation has been taken up by AI, but professional translators specialising in law, medicine, technology, and literature are still in great demand.

9. Retail Cashiers

Self-checkout kiosks, cashier-less store formats, and AI-powered inventory and payment systems continue to reduce headcount needs at the till. 

McKinsey's broader retail automation estimates place this sector among the more exposed to near-term AI and robotics-driven job losses.

Global major retailers are continuing to grow their self-checkout capabilities in order to cut down on labour costs and increase efficiency during checkouts.

Humans are still essential in customer service, managing exceptions, age verification, merchandising, and overall customer experience.

Current Situation: While cashiers are being hired less and less, retailers are actively hiring people who are good at engaging customers, multichannel selling, inventory management, and digital retailing.

10. Junior and Entry-Level Software Developers

This is one of the more debated entries on any "AI automation jobs" list and one of the most publicly documented. Microsoft has confirmed that roughly 30% of its code is now AI-generated, and a significant share of its 2025 layoffs targeted software engineering roles.

AI coding assistants increasingly handle boilerplate, testing, and documentation, compressing demand for junior developers even as senior engineers who can direct and review AI output remain highly sought after.

10 Jobs at Risk of Being Replaced by AI: Quick Overview

Wondering how AI will reshape your future? Read How AI Will Impact The Future Of Work And Life and stay one step ahead. 

Which Jobs Are Safest From AI Replacement?

How Can Professionals Future-Proof Their Careers Against AI?

The organisations least affected by AI job displacement share one trait: they invest early in upskilling. Industry insights found that 85% of employers plan to prioritise upskilling as their core workforce strategy through 2030, and that AI, big data, and technological literacy are the fastest-growing skill categories globally.

For professionals in the UAE and the wider GCC, the picture is different. Digital, data, and AI-related hiring remains one of the fastest-growing job segments. 

At the same time, demand for clerical and routine administrative roles is declining. The practical response is not to compete with AI on repetitive tasks. Instead, focus on developing skills that AI cannot use effectively without human expertise. 

These include data analytics, cybersecurity, project and programme management, BIM and digital construction tools, and applied AI literacy within your existing field.

Concerned about job security? Discover Job Security in the Age of AI- Here Are 13 Ways You Can Protect Your Job and Future-Proof Your Career. 

Key Takeaways