By Abigail Marks
Publication Date: 2026-02-23 17:34:00
As a professor of the future of work, the question I’m most often asked is whether AI will take everyone’s jobs away.
I hear it from students who worry that their degrees will be out of date before they graduate. I hear it from office workers who are watching new tools being added to their software. And I hear it from people who work in retail and logistics and hospitality and administration, all of whom suspect that their work puts them at greatest risk.
The problem has become a widespread concern in the workplace. And of course I understand why people are worried.
Technology has long been sold to employers as a way to achieve more with fewer workers. When new technologies come onto the market, it often means cutting costs.
So far, however, AI has not led to mass unemployment, and society’s use of the technology is and will likely continue to be nuanced and complex.
But blunt headlines declaring “AI will take your job” are hard to ignore. And they can accommodate workers in a…
