AI will replace 80% of jobs by 2026

The world is changing rapidly, and artificial intelligence has long ceased to be just an automation tool. It has become an independent force influencing the economy, culture, education and the labor market. When one of the world's leading neural companies OpenAI states that artificial intelligence can replace up to 80% of professions in the coming years, this does not sound like the fantasy of futurists, but like a forecast that requires attention.

To better understand which areas will be affected, what changes await employees, and whether new opportunities will emerge, we conducted an interview with an anonymous OpenAI employee. He agreed to talk about the upcoming transformations of the labor market, about fears and hopes associated with the development of intelligent systems.

Below is an extended version of the interview - a conversation about professions, technologies and the future, which is coming faster than we can imagine.

Why are we talking about 80% of professions?

Technological speed and scale of implementation

— How realistic is the figure “80% of professions” by 2026?

— This is not even a forecast, but a statistical conclusion from the current dynamics. When we launched the next model last year, we saw that it was capable of performing tasks from dozens of professional areas. Today there are already hundreds of directions. A year later - thousands. The scale of AI adoption is growing exponentially. So yes, 80% of jobs will change or be partially/fully automated - this is very realistic.

What does it mean to “replace a profession”?

Our interlocutor clarifies that we are almost never talking about the complete disappearance of the profession. Individual functions are replaced more often:

- routine operations,
— data verification,
- preparation of drafts,
— analysis of large volumes of information,
— forecasting.

Professions are “compressed” and not destroyed—a person is left with creativity, control, and complex solutions.

Which industries will be the first to feel the change?

1. Administrative and office tasks

- Office work, documentation management, reporting, organizing meetings - all this is already done faster and more accurately by AI. Companies will cut departments that employ dozens of specialists, leaving one or two people to control the process.

We are talking about secretaries, office managers, assistants, document management specialists, and junior analysts.

2. Marketing and content

Content has been generated by neural networks for a long time. But now it's not just about texts.

— We see how models can create videos, advertising scripts, design, presentations, advertising campaigns. The person is left with strategic thinking, and the algorithms do everything else faster.

Copywriters, SMM editors, entry-level designers, and video editors are under attack.

3. Law and data analytics

Artificial intelligence quickly converts documents, checks them for errors, forms contracts, and creates legal opinions.

— In law firms, junior lawyers are already being replaced by AI. This is not a matter of the future - it is happening now.

Professions in which AI is not yet capable of replacing humans

1. Professions that require tactile precision and motor skills

Surgery, repair of complex equipment, work at heights still require humans.

— Robots exist, but they are still too expensive and limited. Replacing a living specialist in production or medicine is not a matter of two years.

2. Professions related to emotional support

Psychotherapy, social assistance, raising children - here AI remains only a tool.

— People want to be heard by a person, to feel empathy. This is something that models are just learning to imitate.

3. Professions that require physical contact with an object

A hairdresser, a massage therapist, a clothing stylist are far from automated.

Which professions will disappear almost completely?

1. Data operators and routine specialists

— Everything where there are repetitive tasks will be automated. Accounting assistants, information gatherers, call center operators - they will be the first to leave.

Call centers are already being actively replaced by voice models that speak naturally, do not get tired and are able to learn from millions of dialogues.

2. News editors and rewriting journalists

Models can analyze news feeds, write texts, and compile reviews faster than any person.

— The fact check remains with the person, but the primary creation of content is long gone.

Which professions will receive a new round of development?

1. Engineers and architects of digital systems

AI engineers, system architects, and integration specialists will become the core of new markets.

2. Professions related to AI management

Quality assessors, moderators, ethical consultants, model calibrators.

3. Creative leaders and art directors

— Yes, neural networks draw and write. But we need a person who will tell us what exactly to create. It is he who determines the style, meaning, direction.

What does a “workday” look like in the future?

An OpenAI employee describes the workplace of the future as a complex of assistants:

- text assistant,
- design module,
- voice assistant,
— analytical model,
— personal AI planner.

- This is not fantasy. This is a normal working day for us. A person will not perform tasks himself, but will give tasks to AI and control the result.

Should people be afraid of losing their jobs?

Fears are natural - but transformation is inevitable

“Technology doesn’t ask if we’re ready.” They just appear. And it is better to adapt in advance than to resist progress.

How to adapt now

— learn skills to interact with AI,
— move to strategic and management functions,
- develop creativity and critical thinking,
- master related professions.

Conclusion

The development of artificial intelligence is not a threat, but an inevitability that can be used as an opportunity. Yes, many professions are being transformed, some will disappear, but new directions will also emerge that require knowledge, flexibility and a willingness to work side by side with technology. AI is not a competitor, but a tool that will help people focus on more valuable tasks: creativity, strategy, management and interaction.

Those who begin to study and apply AI in their activities now will become leaders of the new digital world. You can't cancel the future—but you can become someone who thrives in it.