What Jobs Do People Think AI Can Replace?
Findings from an Emotion Encoded Survey
When people imagine the future of work, they often picture machines taking over tasks once reserved for humans. But which jobs do we think are most vulnerable?
In a recent Emotion Encoded survey of 43 respondents, people shared which professions they believe AI could potentially replace. The results are both predictable and surprising.
Survey Results
Below are the professions and the percentage of respondents who believe AI could replace them:
| Profession | Respondents (N=43) | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic Designers | 31 | 72.1% |
| Software Developers | 30 | 69.8% |
| Writers | 27 | 62.8% |
| Accountants | 24 | 55.8% |
| Tutors | 24 | 55.8% |
| Paralegals | 24 | 55.8% |
| Cashiers | 20 | 46.5% |
| Retail Workers | 20 | 46.5% |
| Travel Agents | 16 | 37.2% |
| Artists | 13 | 30.2% |
| Movie Producers | 13 | 30.2% |
| Customer Service Agents | 12 | 27.9% |
| Photographers | 11 | 25.6% |
| Models | 9 | 20.9% |
Key Insights
1. Creativity is not safe anymore.
The single highest response was **graphic designers (72.1%)**, followed closely by **software developers (69.8%)** and **writers (62.8%)**. This suggests people no longer see creativity or technical skill as uniquely human. AI’s ability to generate art, design, code, and text is reshaping what creative work even means.
2. White-collar professions — AI is coming.
Roles such as **accountants (55.8%)**, **tutors (55.8%)**, and **paralegals (55.8%)** were also seen as replaceable. This reflects how AI is viewed as powerful enough to handle structured, repetitive, and knowledge-heavy work ranging from legal briefs to lesson plans.
3. The service sector will be affected.
**Cashiers (46.5%)**, **retail workers (46.5%)**, and **travel agents (37.2%)** ranked high. This matches real-world automation we already see in self-checkouts, booking sites, and customer service chatbots.
4. Skepticism remains around human-heavy fields.
**Photographers (25.6%)**, **artists (30.2%)**, and **movie producers (30.2%)** scored lower. Respondents may feel that emotional intuition, vision, and cultural taste are harder for AI to replicate.
5. Models (20.9%) were the least selected.
This shows a belief that physical presence and human representation, at least for now, cannot be entirely faked by machines.
The Bigger Picture
What stands out is the psychological contradiction. People are most ready to accept that AI can replace fields built on **creativity** such as design, writing, and software. Yet they resist the idea of AI replacing roles with a heavy **human, cultural, or physical component** even if those jobs might be easier to automate in theory.
The question, then, is not only what jobs AI can do, but which human qualities we are most willing to let go of.