- Fully remote workers face the highest risk of replacement by AI over the next decade due to a lack of in-person interaction.
- Jobs requiring some physical presence will be safer from automation and could see AI boost productivity.
- Still, generative AI may disrupt 300 million jobs globally, especially high-exposure white-collar ones heavy on repetitive tasks.
AI Threat to Fully Remote Jobs
Employees enjoying permanent work-from-home may want to come into the office occasionally to avoid being replaced by artificial intelligence.
That’s according to Stanford professor Nicholas Bloom, who warns that 100% remote and repetitive roles face the highest risk from advancing AI over the next decade.
“The big way to protect yourself as an individual is to be in a role that requires some in-person interaction, even if that’s every other month,” Bloom advised. Meeting co-workers periodically makes jobs tougher to automate.
In-Person Interaction as a Safeguard
Bloom estimates fully remote workers comprise 10% of the North American and European workforce.
But AI tools like chatbot ChatGPT could wipe out more of those permanent work-from-home roles soon.
“If you think of data entry, call centers, HR, payroll — this kind of thing that’s fully remote — a lot of this may be replaced by AI in five to 10 years,” said the economics professor.
Better news: It’s impractical for an AI robot to replace most jobs requiring physical presence.
Hybrid Remote Work
AI could boost productivity for hybrid remote workers rather than threaten their role.
Experts warn generative AI may significantly disrupt up to 300 million jobs globally, especially high-exposure white-collar ones.
So perhaps fully remote employees should come into the office occasionally if they want face-to-face time with the boss — not just their automated replacement.
