The most AI-proof jobs revealed – and which of them pay the very best salaries?

Artificial intelligence is already everywhere, including probably in several items or places you already use on a day-to-day basis – but it’s expected to be far more prevalent in the coming years.

While there’s unquestionably areas where AI will benefit consumers and workers alike on an everyday basis, there has also been plenty of discussion over how much it could, or should, impact work life, in particular when it comes to replacing people doing certain jobs.

Automation is nothing new of course, but the idea that machines or software take over entire roles or careers is a concerning one for some.

Now some research has been released detailing which jobs or areas of work could be least likely to be impacted by the rise of AI, based on new listings for employment vacancies which showed the least reaction to salaries being offered; in other words, those which still showed a demand for people, rather than being able to replace departures with software.

Unsurprisingly, there was a heavy slant towards jobs which require either specialist human interaction, such as surgeons, or else where person-to-person connections were fundamental.

As reported by the Telegraph, Adzuna utilised data from Goldman Sachs and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to identify those jobs deemed safer from AI, or AI-proof, then ranked them by offered salary.

Top billing went to dermatologists, with an average salary offered of £86,229 and almost double the number of jobs being offered compared to a year earlier.

Surgeons (£80,000), psychologists (£76,400), paediatricians (£74,600) and dentists (£70,000) made up the top five by salary.

Outside of specialist and medical-based jobs, which also included veterinarians and physical therapists, several blue-collar and manual labour jobs also featured prominently. Plumbers, carpenters and labourers all show resilience to AI, the study suggests, as well as some lesser-spotted roles including lifeguards and crane drivers.

Meanwhile, roles that do require specific human reasoning and judgement also cropped up, with vacancies for nurses, social workers, midwifes and museum curators being examples.

The International Monetary Fund last year said it believed AI would impact nearly 40 per cent of all jobs over time.