Innovation - AI: Destroyer of Jobs or Creator of New Careers?

Artificial Intelligence keeps showing up everywhere — in our phones, in schools, and even in businesses — and people can’t stop arguing about whether it’s helping us or hurting us. Some think AI will take over tons of jobs, while others say it might bring in opportunities we’ve never had before.
AI can indeed replace certain tasks. Companies use chatbots to answer customer questions, and AI programs can sort data or write basic messages in seconds. Jobs that are repetitive or don’t require a lot of decision-making are the ones most at risk. From a business lens, this helps companies save money, which is why so many of them prefer utilising AI.
But the story doesn’t end there. AI is also creating completely new careers. With its increasing prevalence, people are needed to design, train, test, and fix AI systems. Businesses rely on data analysts, AI developers, prompt engineers, and cybersecurity experts, jobs that didn’t even exist a few years ago. Even fields like healthcare, transportation, and finance are using AI, which means more future careers for students today.
The real question isn’t whether AI will take jobs away, but whether we’ll be ready for the new ones it creates. If schools start teaching skills like coding, creativity, and problem-solving, students can learn how to work with AI instead of being replaced by it.
So is AI destroying jobs or creating them? Honestly, it’s doing both. But if we learn the right skills, it could actually open more doors than it closes.

Ayesha Ali - MYP 3 - Learning Alliance International