Artificial Intelligence: A Threat to Employment or a Lever for Enhancing Human Skills?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) sparks numerous debates regarding its impact on the job market. Should we fear a massive wave of job losses, or rather see AI as an opportunity for transformation and skill enhancement? Alain Goudey, Deputy General Director in charge of Digital at NEOMA Business School and an AI expert, adopts an optimistic and well-argued perspective on this issue. According to him, AI does not replace jobs as a whole but instead reshapes the tasks that make them up.

AI Does Not Replace Jobs, It Transforms Tasks

Contrary to the alarmist visions frequently relayed, serious reports paint a less dramatic reality. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, while AI could displace 85 million jobs, it could also create 97 million new ones. Additionally, the 2025 report even anticipates a net gain of 78 million jobs globally, highlighting that AI generates at least as many opportunities as challenges.

Similarly, McKinsey reports that fewer than 5% of current professions are fully automatable, whereas about one-third of tasks within many jobs could be automated.

So, I believe AI does not directly replace workers’ positions but rather specific tasks within those jobs. This means that employees will increasingly collaborate with AI, focusing on high-value-added activities such as creativity, judgment, and complex decision-making. In other words, employment evolves but does not necessarily disappear.

For instance, in fields like accounting, marketing, or journalism, AI can automate certain repetitive and analytical tasks but cannot replace human creativity, intuition, or decision-making. An accountant using AI does not lose their job; instead, they gain efficiency by delegating calculations and data analysis to the machine, allowing them to focus on strategic consulting. Not to mention, AI-generated results still require verification and validation, as this technology remains susceptible to biases and inaccuracies.

AI as a Driver of New Jobs

AI adoption inevitably leads to the creation of new professions and even entire industries, while also stimulating existing ones. This has always been the case throughout major technological revolutions in history.

Today, we see the emergence of roles such as “MLOps,” “AI engineer,” “AI ethicist,” “behavioral data analyst,” and “AI model trainer”—positions that were unimaginable just a decade ago. Additionally, the integration of AI in companies necessitates new skills, encouraging employee training and adaptation rather than replacement. Industries such as energy, IT, data science, and cloud computing will fully benefit from the widespread adoption of AI.

AI as a Tool for Enhancing Human Intelligence

Rather than viewing AI as a threat, I see it is a powerful tool for augmenting human capabilities. AI helps eliminate time-consuming, repetitive tasks, delivering a “good enough” result in record time, thereby freeing up time for deeper reflection, human interaction, and creativity—ultimately leading to superior outcomes. AI tools can even foster new forms of creativity, accelerate rapid prototyping cycles, and drive innovation.

For example, lawyers can leverage automated analysis tools to process vast amounts of legal documents, teachers can use AI to personalize learning based on students’ needs, and architects can rely on predictive models to optimize designs and quickly bring concepts to life.

Training to Better Integrate AI into the Workplace

The key to successfully transitioning to an “AI-augmented” economy lies in education and training. The World Economic Forum predicts that 50% of employees will need to update their skills to remain competitive in the evolving job market. This underscores the importance of continuous learning and fostering a lifelong learning culture.

It is essential for companies and educational institutions to train workers in the new skills required by AI—this is a crucial factor for economic competitiveness. This involves learning the fundamentals of AI, understanding its functions, recognizing its strengths and limitations, and acquiring complementary skills to collaborate effectively with these tools.

In France, several initiatives are already underway, including AI courses in top universities and ongoing training programs for professionals. The goal is to ensure skill development that enables workers to adapt to AI-driven transformations and fully leverage its potential. For instance, NEOMA has already trained over 8,200 individuals on AI and generative AI topics.

AI: A Driver of Innovation and Competitiveness

Integrating AI into the workplace is a critical factor for business and national competitiveness. Companies that strategically adopt AI improve productivity, innovation, and responsiveness to market changes.

On a national scale, countries investing heavily in AI gain a significant economic and industrial competitive advantage, capturing market value faster and more efficiently. France and Europe have a crucial role to play in this field. The key lies in balancing technological innovation with ethical considerations. I am an advocate for AI development that respects human values, ensures algorithmic transparency, and promotes seamless societal integration—while allowing for experimentation and innovation to unlock new applications.

Far from being a direct threat, I see AI as an amplifier of human skills, paving the way for new forms of human-machine collaboration. McKinsey even suggests that in most studied scenarios, full employment could be maintained by 2030—provided that professional transitions are proactively managed.

Rather than replacing jobs, AI reshapes tasks, creates new professions, and enhances human capabilities. To ensure a beneficial transition, investing in training and proactively integrating AI is crucial.

AI is not an end in itself but a powerful tool (albeit imperfect) that should be harnessed to serve human intelligence.

By Alain Goudey, NEOMA Business School