The news: The US public and AI experts have diverging perspectives on how AI will reshape the job market over the next 20 years.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of US adults expect fewer jobs, and just 5% forecast more jobs, per Pew Research. However, only 39% of AI experts predict fewer jobs, and 19% expect the number of jobs to grow.

The public may be reacting to highly visible layoffs and an uncertain economy, coupled with the unknown future of what kinds of tasks AI will be capable of within the next 20 years. Experts, by contrast, have more direct exposure to AI’s limitations and may expect long-term job creation will offset short-term losses.

The opportunity: According to McKinsey, AI technologies could theoretically automate about 57% of US work hours today. Despite the projections from Pew and McKinsey, jobs may not simply disappear. Instead, a new class of workers will emerge.

These new jobs will preserve human labor and center on collaboration between people and AI, per McKinsey. For example:

• AI agents could review and identify key client accounts for marketing teams and tailor outreach messages and approaches.
• That information would then be handed to human employees, who could close contracts, plan campaign strategies, and negotiate deal terms.

The caveat: Many employers are turning to automation as a cost- and headcount-cutting tool rather than a way to enhance employee productivity. Internally, that could lead to reduced diversity of thought and experience on teams, short-staffing in crucial areas like cybersecurity, and a need to hire employees back down the line. Outwardly, it could lead to public blowback and brand damage.

Recent actions: Major tech companies have enacted layoffs in the name of AI.

• Amazon cut 14,000 jobs in October, and HP plans to lay off between 4,000 and 6,000 by 2028 as they reorganize for AI-driven operating models.
• Accenture, which laid off about 11,000, and Salesforce, which cut about 4,000 customer service roles, both cited the potential for AI to automate human-driven work.

What companies should do: As businesses across sectors accelerate enterprise AI adoption, the goal should be focused on streamlining workflows around collaboration—rather than on replacing people with AI.

Test ways AI can automate basic tasks to open up employees for customer-facing work, cut down on managerial red tape, and boost response speed while keeping human judgment in the loop. Use the technology to accelerate campaign ideation and craft asset prototypes, then deploy human talent for execution.