“How not to lose your job to AI” by Benjamin Todd

About half of people are worried they'll lose their job to AI. And they're right to be concerned: AI can now complete real-world coding tasks on GitHub, generate photorealistic video, drive a taxi more safely than humans, and do accurate medical diagnosis. And over the next five years, it's set to continue to improve rapidly. Eventually, mass automation and falling wages are a real possibility.

Narrated by the author.

---

Outline:

(00:00) Introduction

(04:17) 1: What people misunderstand about automation

(08:56) 1.1: What would ‘full automation’ mean for wages?

(11:19) 2: Four types of skills most likely to increase in value

(12:42) 2.1: Skills AI won’t easily be able to perform

(21:41) 2.2: Skills that are needed for AI deployment

(24:56) 2.3: Skills where we could use far more of what they produce

(26:25) 2.4: Skills that are difficult for others to learn

(28:05) 3.1: Skills using AI to solve real problems

(29:22) 3.2: Personal effectiveness

(31:59) 3.3: Leadership skills

(36:25) 3.4: Communications and taste

(37:23) 3.5: Getting things done in government

(38:24) 3.6: Complex physical skills

(38:57) 4: Skills with a more uncertain future

(39:18) 4.1: Routine knowledge work: writing, admin, analysis, advice

(43:22) 4.2: Coding, maths, data science, and applied STEM

(45:31) 4.3: Visual creation

(46:05) 4.4: More predictable manual jobs

(46:46) 5: Some closing thoughts on career strategy

(46:54) 5.1: Look for ways to leapfrog entry-level white collar jobs

(48:44) 5.2: Be cautious about starting long training periods, like PhDs and medicine

(49:52) 5.3: Make yourself more resilient to change

(50:16) 5.4: Ride the wave

(50:37) Take action

(50:58) Thank you for listening

---

First published:
June 15th, 2025

Source:
https://80000hours.org/ai/guide/skills-ai-makes-valuable