AI’s Impact on Jobs: What’s Next?

Explore how AI reshapes industries, slashes roles, and creates new jobs. Insights, trends, and stories that matter.

Author

Malcolm Frank, CEO
January 13, 2025

 

The new hybrid workforce: humans + digital workers  

Digital workers, in the form of AI agents, are quickly “joining” payrolls. Services leaders like Accenture, McKinsey, PwC, and Deloitte have already embraced this model, integrating AI into roles ranging from customer service to data analysis and beyond.

It makes a ton of sense: not only are these firms under massive pressure to amplify productivity per head, but they also need to leverage an “eat our own dogfood” approach to have credibility in advising their clients on building their own AI-led capabilities.  

The rise of hybrid workforces is raising critical questions about the roles of HR and IT in managing this shift. Should HR shape the workforce and select AI talent, or is IT better suited to evaluate and deploy these technologies? The answer lies in collaboration, yet most organizations are only beginning to address these challenges.

So, the problem is defined.  In the coming months we’ll start to see the most effective operating models for defining, procuring, and implementing AI agents into traditional companies.

Wall Street may slash 200,000 jobs as AI erodes roles

“Digital workers” to replace human workers in the back office, middle office, and customer service departments. 

41% of companies worldwide plan to reduce workforces by 2030 due to AI

But AI may lead to the creation of 170 million new jobs. A long, but good, read: World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report.  

What to expect from AI in 2025: hybrid workers, robotics, expert models

Goldman Sachs’ CIO notes the rise of the hybrid workforce as companies “employ” and train AI workers to be part of hybrid teams of humans and AIs working together.

NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang says that IT will “become the HR of AI agents”

AI agents are quickly becoming part of the workforce and IT will have to select and manage them.

The Consumer Electronics Show was a giant exercise in AI gaslighting

There was plenty of shouting about AI at the tech world’s mega trade show, but not a lot of substance.

MIT: Five trends in AI and data science for 2025

From agentic AI to unstructured data, these 2025 AI trends deserve close attention from leaders.

Google maps the future of AI agents: key lessons for businesses

A new Google white paper outlines a future where AI takes on a more active and independent role in business. 

Agent of the Week: Claygent

An AI research agent that can answer any question.

Microsoft leak exposes how management identifies "critical AI talent" among indispensable staffers for retention bonuses

An internal document hints at favoring AI-focused workers amid reports they are already more handsomely compensated.

Mark Zuckerberg says AI could soon do the work of Meta's midlevel engineers

Meta will start automating the work of midlevel software engineers this year, and may eventually outsource all coding on its apps to AI.

This start-up has found a way to cut down on Wall Street’s brutal, sometimes fatally long hours

Mosaic is trying to create a new kind of Wall Street: one with humane hours, where all-nighters no longer need to exist. 

While asleep, man applies for 1,000 jobs using AI, wakes up to 50 interview calls  

Using a self-built AI bot, a Reddit user revolutionised job applications, securing 50 interviews—raising ethical questions about the future of recruitment.

IBM study: AI spending expected to surge 52% beyond IT budgets as retail brands embrace enterprise-wide innovation

Executives indicate they want to expand into more sophisticated AI use cases, such as integrated business planning, where they plan to increase usage by 82% in 2025.

How Indian IT partnered with AI startups in 2024

Infosys, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Wipro, and HCLTech have all partnered with several AI startups over the last year.

Spurred by AI’s possibilities, Eli Lilly and Andreessen Horowitz partner on $500M venture fund

The collaboration between a drug giant and a venture capital firm is unusual.

And one more thing…

Augmented mentality?  

AI may soon provide you with superpowers.  

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