Tech Pros List 15 Jobs That Should Never Be Automated

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The rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning has made it possible for businesses to automate processes and boost productivity in ways that were unheard of even just a few years ago. Technology has made inroads into almost every industry, leading some workers to become nervous about being rendered obsolete.

However, in the end, AI and ML are just tools to support the work that humans do. Further, some jobs and functions require human abilities and qualities that technology simply can’t match. Below, 15 tech industry leaders from Forbes Technology Council list jobs they think will always be best left to human workers.

1. Customer Service

Customer service and customer experience have been revolutionized by automation, which can route inquiries efficiently and improve contact. But there should always be an easy option to have a live conversation. Consumers often want to talk to an expert when faced with high-cost or complex decisions. AI and ML should help consumers connect with the right person if and when they need it, not replace them. - Gregg Johnson, Invoca

2. Business Analysis

Business analysis is a critical role and function inside any business and IT team—it truly balances technology and business requirements. This role will be needed to help ensure that what AI and ML are doing matches the business expectations and requirements. As a people-first role, this is a function that will outlast ML pushes due to its critical nature and business users’ constant changes. - Robert Chapman, 101 Solutions

3. Writing

Writing and all kinds of creative jobs should never and will never be fully automated. The right brain of a human is needed to formulate creative approaches to produce certain outcomes that AI and ML might never be able to compete with. - Afshin Doust, Advanced Intelligent Systems Inc.

4. Design

There have been attempts to automate design, but the best results tend to excel at finding mediocrity. Good design is knowing how to find the right compromise with the rules you need to work with. That is convergent thinking. Great design is recognizing which rules you don’t need to work with. That is divergent thinking. Does AI do that? - Gerhard Pawelka, Cooper Perkins

5. UX Design

User experience design should not be automated. AI, ML and neurolinguistic programming will transform nearly every aspect of business. But artificial intelligence will never be sufficient, in and of itself, in the highly interactive, iterative and nuanced process of designing and enhancing your clients’ experience with your product. To do this well requires a level of understanding, empathy and responsiveness that goes beyond AI’s potential. - Hoony Youn, MackeyRMS

6. Sales

Sales jobs can never be fully automated. AI has a long way to go before it can do what a great salesperson can do. I think enterprise sales in particular requires relationship building and management of clients. - Abhinav Somani, Leverton, An MRI Software Company

7. Application Engineering

Application engineers work directly with sales to build customer trust and answer technical questions, train and educate the customer, and help solve customer issues, ultimately leading to current and future sales. The role is built on human interaction and building trust. - Jay Marshall, Eyelock LLC

8. Software Development

Even though it might not seem so, developing and programming is a creative process, which means that human touch and human understanding are still needed to get good, variable and nontrivial results. AI is never going to be able to emulate the human creative process, which means that software development is impossible to automate. - Daria Leshchenko, SupportYourApp Inc.

9. Life And Career Coaching

A job that immediately comes to mind is that of a career or life coach. AI and ML certainly can play a part in assessing characteristics and tracking progress, but it is the human connection the coach brings that drives the results. I don’t believe we should automate the emotional connection required in this role. - Jeffrey Ton, InterVision

10. Teaching

One of the jobs that should not be fully automated is teaching. The role of a good teacher requires much more than presenting information understandably. It involves a complex set of skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, creativity, patience and even basic psychology—all of which would be extremely hard to develop artificially. - Ivailo Nikolov, SiteGround

11. Human Resources

The answer I’d like to give is any job that requires empathy and compassion (that’s a lot of them). If I had to pick something specific, the most obvious one would be human resources. Past HR platforms that leveraged AI were huge failures due to bias. Even if that was solved, HR issues are complex and multifaceted and require a deeper understanding of context and semantics, as well as emotional intelligence. - Chris Hobbs, TTT Studios

12. Manufacturing

Humans remain essential to the frontlines of manufacturing. Automation driven by AI/ML has been called a threat, but it can and does co-exist with humans who have ensured essential products get made without compromising quality or safety. AI and ML predict and detect, triggering humans to act. Humans, augmented with digital tools, are equipped to handle unexpected situations and make quick decisions. - Lawrence Whittle, Parsable

13. Finance

The one role at our company that will never be automated is finance. We want real eyeballs on the numbers, and we want a lot of touch on our finance accounts. Those need to have a team working accounts payable and accounts receivable, with no access allowed by another team—hence I will not allow AI to be in play. - Christopher Carter, Approyo

14. Insurance Adjusting

Insurance adjusting is an area that can be heavily automated by removing mundane tasks, but when a policyholder experiences an auto or home loss, it is often one of the most stressful times in their lives. I’m a big believer that you still need the human touch in the claims process to handle the complex situations and provide empathy where AI and ML fall short. - Ernie Bray, AutoClaims Direct Inc. (ACD)

15. Law Enforcement

AI will be better at logic, unquestionably. However, its results would not include personal, social and cultural impacts. The results from AI are not always visible, and the process it uses to reach a conclusion is not always available. I would be fearful if AI was used for law enforcement, as this will always require human empathy, reasoning and sound judgment. - Greg Shepard, BOSS Capital Partners

Form:forbes.com