Which Careers Are at Risk Due to AI?
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, recently raised concerns about how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact certain professional careers. In particular, he pointed to medicine and law as fields that could soon become obsolete due to advancements in AI technology.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk stated:
🗨️ “AI will soon surpass doctors and lawyers by a wide margin, and eventually outperform humans in almost everything.”
Musk’s comment was in response to Bindu Reddy, CEO of an AI company, who argued that AI-powered diagnostics could outperform human doctors by leveraging vast amounts of medical data.
How AI Could Overtake Doctors and Lawyers
Reddy supported her claims with a New York Times article, which detailed a study where AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, outperformed human doctors in diagnosing medical conditions.
She added that the same principle applies to law:
🗨️ “AI could handle most knowledge-based professions better than humans.”
Musk agreed but emphasised that humans might still serve as a biological backup for intelligence due to their resilience compared to silicon-based systems.
Public Reactions to Musk’s Statement
Musk’s prediction sparked intense debate on X, with users expressing both scepticism and support:
🔸 One sceptical user said:
🗨️ “You might trust an AI to guide your ultrasound biopsy, but I certainly won’t.”
🔸 Another argued that emotional factors in legal cases prevent AI from replacing lawyers:
🗨️ “Courtroom success isn’t just about facts. It’s about storytelling and human persuasion, which AI still struggles with.”
🔸 Some users supported Musk’s view, claiming that medicine and law are ideal candidates for generative AI due to their complex systems and data-heavy processes.
🔸 One commenter summed up the sentiment of urgency:
🗨️ “This is why regulation is needed now.”
Will AI Really Replace Jobs?
While Musk takes a radical stance on AI’s impact on employment, others present a more balanced view. Rebeca Eun Young Hwang, a professor at Stanford and Thunderbird, shared her insights at a Google event with Adriana Noreña, VP of Google’s Latin America division.
Hwang believes that AI will not eliminate jobs entirely. Instead, it will transform roles by changing how tasks are performed.
🗨️ “The real question is not which jobs will disappear, but rather how much of our work will be transformed by AI,” she explained.
According to Hwang, as AI takes over routine tasks, employees may gain more free time, allowing greater focus on creativity and innovation.