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Your fears about being usurped by AI in the coming years may not be massively overblown, after all. In a Mercer poll of 1,000 US executives, 99% revealed they have plans to replace workers with AI within two years.
By the time you have five years’ experience for that entry level job, AI might just render it obsolete anyway.
It’s no secret that companies are looking to automate admin roles in the near future. An algorithm isn’t going to book two weeks off in Marbella, or send a message saying it’s got the shits 10 minutes before its shift begins.
It’s not going to create a union, it doesn’t require a pension, it’s not going to grass anyone up to HR, and it doesn’t have any sort of mental health to go all topsy-turvy in the first place. It’s pure, uninhibited productivity that isn’t powered by caffeine.
This attitude is not my own, but that’s the gist of what is getting CEOs all hot and bothered with excitement. Young people, meanwhile, are dealing with record levels of unemployment and are staring at the ceiling at night wondering whether that master’s degree outlay would have been better spent on cocktails in Bali.
For those of us who have landed ourselves in a comfy job (pats table, and clicks kettle), we may not be safe for much longer either – provided a new Mercer industry report is worth its salt.
The consulting firm polled nearly 1,000 executives across the US, and 99% of them showed a desire to replace certain job roles with AI within the next two years. 98% also said they’re prepping major organisation changes centred around the technology. So, about as reassuring as your GP gasping at your scan photos.
For many of those who avoid the chop, the report reveals that 65% of executives have role revisions in mind for between 11% and 30% of their entire workforce. It actually uses the word ‘redeployed’, which sounds more military conscription than repositioning a houseplant.
The anxiety surrounding the situation shows little sign of abating, with employee concern spiking from 28% in 2024 to 40% today, and that panic is becoming increasingly justified.
