3 IT Jobs That Won't Be Replaced By Robots

by Stephanie Faris on Monday, May 30 6:00

By 2025, robots could take over one-third of the jobs that humans do today, experts predict. That scary statistic is based largely on the fact that artificial intelligence has become so advanced. With machine learning technology, computers can now go far beyond merely calculating data and pulling reports. In fact, software can now learn and adapt, even communicating with humans in a very human-like manner.

As this technology becomes more sophisticated, experts predict that many of the jobs currently held by humans will eventually be phased out. But there are always areas where software can t quite match the human mind. For IT professionals, here are three of those areas.

Application Developers

All of these software-based systems will need to be programmed and updated by someone with specialized expertise. For that reason, human beings will always be required to power all of the devices doing all of this work. Just as computers phased out some jobs, many more were created as a result, and even today, programming remains one of the most lucrative careers. Talented developers who can put machine learning to use in various environments will likely command top salaries for many years. Developers will also be needed for the many applications that aren t related to artificial intelligence, although the mundane tasks they perform have already been automated using compilers to write code and smart editors to find errors.

Quality Assurance

Every good piece of software on the market goes through a testing phase, with a team set up to identify issues. This allows those issues to be fixed before consumers begin interacting with a product, reducing complaints and creating a more efficient release process. While software could eventually be put in place to analyze software and find errors, the analyzing software could have errors itself. The best way to check for quality and find issues is to have a human interact with a product in the way consumers will and report those issues as bugs.

Tech Support

By now, everyone knows that from time to time, devices won t function as they should. In some cases, the problem is user error but in many others, there are flaws and incompatibilities within the software that need to be addressed. For this reason, consumers will always rely on knowledgeable professionals who can troubleshoot problems and repair them. As more devices are introduced, technical support workers will be expected to learn how to work on them, going beyond mobile devices and PCs to become experts in the many smart devices found in offices and homes. Much of this work can already be done remotely, however, so technicians do suffer threats of their jobs being outsourced to cloud providers and offshore workers.

Artificial intelligence will gradually change the way consumers work and play, but as the technology becomes more sophisticated, it will likely replace certain jobs. The shift is good news for the technology field, however, since professionals will be necessary to build, troubleshoot, and assure quality for each of the devices being sold. For those planning a long-term career, it s important to consider advancing technology.