For years, the notion that Artificial Intelligence would soon replace the jobs of human workers has seemed like a distant idea. Yet, a new study indicates that the threat of such a disruption is actually
much closer than many have thought.
According to a new study by AI firm Anthropic, the current crop of generative AI technology is already capable of handling a significant portion of the work that white-collar workers currently perform. Although the study does not predict that widespread unemployment will occur in the near future, the reality is that AI is already changing the face of different industries.
What The Anthropic Study Says
Anthropic’s research focused on millions of real-world interactions with the AI assistant Claude to understand the ways in which people are using generative AI in their daily work. The results of the research indicate that AI is capable of handling significant parts of many different jobs in the workforce.
The research indicates that 49 per cent of all jobs have at least a quarter of the work that can potentially be performed using AI tools, a significant increase from the original projection in 2025.
The research indicates that the most significant use of AI is in knowledge-based jobs that require writing, coding, analysis, and administrative work. Instead of replacing people, AI is being used to help people complete tasks more efficiently in many cases.
However, the research indicates that this is likely to have a significant impact on the workforce as more and more AI is integrated into the daily work environment.
The Most Vulnerable Jobs
According to a report published in The Economic Times, jobs that involve a high percentage of routine digital tasks such as coding, data processing, customer support etc are the most likely to be automated.
According to industry analysis that the report cites, up to 70 per cent of the tasks that programmers, customer support staff, and data processing staff perform could potentially be automated using AI systems.
Some other jobs that the report identifies as being particularly vulnerable to the risk of automation include administrative jobs, office support staff jobs, legal research and documentation jobs, financial analysis jobs, financial reporting jobs, content writing jobs, translation jobs, etc. These jobs all deal with information, which is an area where large language models perform particularly well.
Why Are White-Collar Jobs In Trouble?
Unlike other waves of automation, which impacted manufacturing and labour, generative AI is currently focusing on knowledge work.
This is because, with the capacity to analyse text, produce reports, generate code, and process data, AI is increasingly becoming capable of performing white-collar jobs.
This, according to analysts, could cause a huge shift in the labour market. For instance, a report cited by Fortune stated that AI could cause a “great recession for white-collar workers” if many office jobs were to be automated at once. However, it is believed by economists that technology is likely to change jobs, not eliminate them.
Tech Leaders Warn Of Changes
Several industry leaders have recently issued stark warnings about the speed of AI-driven changes.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has suggested that up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs could disappear within the next five years as AI systems become more capable. He has described the coming transition as potentially “unusually painful” for workers and societies adjusting to rapid technological change.
Other business leaders have also warned about the scale of disruption. Industrialist Harsh Goenka, for instance, recently cautioned that several job categories may disappear entirely within a decade as AI systems take over routine workplace functions.
Can AI Also Create Jobs?
Despite these issues, it is argued that ultimately AI will lead to the creation of new jobs.
History shows that technological revolutions lead to the elimination of jobs but also to the creation of new industries that never existed before. According to research cited by economists, many jobs that exist today did not exist several decades ago.
Using AI could lead to an increase in productivity and the creation of new jobs in areas such as the training and management of AI systems, human-AI interaction, and the development of sophisticated software. In fact, companies that employ AI could lead to the creation of new jobs as they expand their products.
The Bigger Picture
The Anthropic research suggests the future of work may not involve a simple scenario of humans versus machines. Instead, AI is likely to reconfigure tasks within jobs, automating routine work while increasing demand for skills such as creativity, strategic thinking and complex problem-solving.
For workers and policymakers, the challenge will be adapting to a labour market where AI tools increasingly act as digital co-workers.
As the technology continues to evolve, the question may shift from “Will AI replace jobs?” to “Which parts of our jobs will AI take over next?”
