In a world rife with dystopian headlines, it’s all too tempting to engage in a little doomscrolling. With AI purportedly poised to snatch away our jobs, even those once deemed secure—like lawyers and radiologists—are not immune. However, these sensational stories, while captivating, often lack the necessary nuance. They focus predominantly on the overt consequences of the AI revolution, neglecting the often-hidden “what comes next.” History teaches us that every cycle of creative destruction brings forth both innovation and loss. Yet the current narrative fixates solely on the latter. While the future of AI’s impact on the American workforce remains uncertain, history suggests a more optimistic outlook than many dare to envision.
Indeed, recent headlines are alarming:
- May 12, 2025: “For Silicon Valley, AI isn’t just about replacing some jobs. It’s about replacing all of them” – The Guardian
- June 18, 2025: “AI Will Replace Amazon Jobs. CEO Andy Jassy Confirms Workers’ Worst Fears.” – Barrons
- July 3, 2025: “Ford’s CEO is the latest exec to warn that AI will wipe out half of white-collar jobs” – Business Insider
- July 19, 2025: “AI will take your job in the next 18 months. Here’s your survival guide.” – Market Watch
These aren’t the rants of fringe bloggers holed up in basements; they originate from established media outlets with vast audiences. Yet, they seem to be fueling an artificial panic.
Take the Amazon headline, for example. Despite being a pioneer in automation, Amazon’s employment numbers have continued to swell. Presently, the company employs over 1.5 million people, a leap from 17,000 in 2007 and nearly double its 2019 workforce. This surge has occurred even as the company integrates over a million robots into its operations. The jobs that were automated primarily involved menial or repetitive tasks, allowing human labor to shift to more valuable roles. While CEO Andy Jassy recently indicated potential job losses due to AI, similar fears were echoed back in 2012 when Amazon acquired Kiva Systems, and yet, employment continued to grow unabated post-acquisition.
These alarming headlines are reminiscent of the rhetoric from the mid-1990s, when the internet transitioned from a niche interest to a fundamental aspect of work and education. Many jobs previously performed by humans were increasingly outsourced to machines.
In 1995, Jeremy Rifkin published his book The End of Work, which predicted a significant decline in job availability due to the rise of information technology. He posited that machines could eliminate as much as two-thirds of current jobs, particularly in manufacturing, agriculture, and clerical sectors.
To his credit, machines did indeed take over numerous roles. However, the anticipated wave of structural unemployment never materialized. Instead, new job categories emerged.
To bolster my argument that AI won’t obliterate all jobs, I consulted ChatGPT to help identify roles that have sprouted since 1990 and now boast substantial employment. It directed me to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, revealing some noteworthy new job categories and their employment figures from that database:
- Software and Web Developers, Programmers, and Testers: 2,154,370 employees
- Database and Network Administrators and Architects: 633,540 employees
- Computer and Information Analysts: 677,230 employees
The broader category of “Computer and Mathematical Occupations” has seen explosive growth since the internet began its rapid ascent in the late 1990s, with current employment figures for “Computer Occupations” reaching 4,786,660.
These categories encompass a diverse range of fulfilling careers, such as app developers, social media managers, cloud architects, cybersecurity analysts, and influencers. In previous generations, many individuals pursuing these paths might have sought stable jobs in law, accounting, or manufacturing.
Mark Twain once quipped about a rumor of his death, insisting that “the report of my death was an exaggeration.” Similarly, the narratives surrounding AI’s impending employment “death toll” are not only exaggerated but also overlook the vital second act of this unfolding drama. After destruction comes creation, and the saga of the internet can offer valuable insights into the future of work during this latest technological upheaval.
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