Friday, November 14, 2025

AI has been around a long time: It's not new

Here’s a clear, useful list of jobs that have been heavily automated or replaced by modern technology, along with brief notes on how they were replaced:


Jobs Largely Replaced or Greatly Reduced by High Tech

Manufacturing & Industrial

  • Assembly line workers – replaced by industrial robots and automated manufacturing systems.

  • Quality control inspectors – AI-driven vision systems now detect defects.

  • Welders / machine operators – robotic welding and CNC machines automate precision tasks.


Office & Administrative

  • Typists / data entry clerks – automated OCR, transcription tools, and AI data-processing.

  • Switchboard operators – automated phone routing systems.

  • Bank tellers (many tasks) – ATMs, online banking, and mobile apps.

  • Administrative assistants (certain tasks) – calendaring, auto-emailing, and AI scheduling tools.


Customer Service & Retail

  • Cashiers – self-checkout kiosks and automated payment systems.

  • Ticket agents (airline, movie, transit) – online booking and mobile check-ins.

  • Customer support reps (tier 1) – chatbots, automated phone menus, and AI support systems.


Transportation

  • Toll booth operators – electronic toll collection (EZ-Pass, RFID).

  • Parking attendants – automated gates and payment machines.

  • Delivery drivers (partially) – autonomous robots and drones in limited areas.


Media & Creative

  • Newspaper layout designers – automated publishing software.

  • Film projectionists – digital projectors with automated scheduling.

  • Photographic lab technicians – digital photography eliminated film processing roles.


Agriculture

  • Crop pickers (some crops) – robotic harvesters and automated sorting machines.

  • Irrigation technicians – smart irrigation systems that adjust automatically.


Finance & Analysis

  • Stock floor traders – algorithmic trading systems.

  • Loan officers (routine decisions) – AI credit models and automated underwriting.


Service & Hospitality

  • Hotel reservation clerks – online booking platforms.

  • Fast-food line cooks (certain tasks) – burger-flipping robots, automated fryers, drink dispensers.


Other Notable Examples

  • Travel agents – online travel search engines.

  • Librarians (certain cataloging tasks) – automated indexing and digital databases.

  • Meter readers – smart meters that transmit data automatically.


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