Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our world faster than ever before, reshaping industries, economies, and the way we define work. From automated customer service bots to self-driving delivery trucks and advanced systems that can create art, write essays, and generate code, technology is no longer just a tool but a direct competitor in the job market.
This progress raises an important question: Is AI improving our lives, or threatening our livelihoods? Each day, more people lose their jobs as companies turn to AI to cut costs, reduce staff, and increase productivity. What once seemed like a technological miracle has become a source of anxiety for many families struggling to make ends meet.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, about 92 million roles are expected to be displaced by automation and AI trends, even though the report also predicts a net increase of 78 million new jobs created by emerging technologies (World Economic Forum, 2025).
Roles once considered essential, such as administrative and clerical work, are now especially vulnerable. In a recent interview, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, warned that “AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs and spike unemployment to 10 to 20 percent in the next one to five years” (Axios, 2025). Similarly, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, stated in 2024 that “AI will impact every job in every industry, but the key difference will be how we adapt and reskill workers fast enough” (BBC, 2024).
These perspectives indicate that the conversation is no longer about whether AI will change our jobs, but how soon and how deeply that change will happen.
As a student preparing to enter the workforce, I often wonder what kind of future awaits us. Will the education I am receiving today still matter in tomorrow’s job market, or will my work someday be replaced by a machine? It is time for schools to evolve as well, teaching the skills technology cannot easily imitate, such as creativity, empathy, and ethical judgment.
Some colleges have already begun integrating AI literacy into their general education programs, ensuring that students learn not only how to use AI but also how to think critically about its influence and potential risks. The future of work depends not only on how we innovate but on how we prepare people to live and thrive alongside that innovation.
This is a great time for competition, but now it is not just with human competitors, but also with an artificial one. The challenge of our generation is not to beat the machines but to learn how to work with them while preserving the very qualities that make us human.
Thank you for reading!
Araceli Fernandez