AI reshapes the job market, but more slowly than predicted

Artificial intelligence is changing what jobs exist, what they require, and what they pay. New roles are emerging at AI companies and across industries, while researchers and economists debate how fast and how deeply automation will affect employment overall.

Business Insider has identified several new or resurgent job categories driven by AI adoption. At the high end, companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are hiring communications directors with starting salaries above $200,000. Anthropic is also recruiting a “Claude Evangelist” — a public-facing role for the startup community — starting at $240,000.

One of the fastest-growing roles is the Forward Deployed Engineer, a position popularized by Palantir that embeds a specialist engineer directly with a client to build tailored AI solutions. According to job platform Indeed, postings for this role were roughly 19 times higher in January 2026 than a year earlier. Companies hiring for the role include OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Amazon Web Services, and Palantir, with salaries ranging from $115,000 to over $200,000.

Other emerging roles include:

• AI Accelerator: internal roles at companies like Stripe and Box that push employees to adopt AI in their daily work
• AI Philosopher or Ethicist: positions at Anthropic and Google DeepMind focused on aligning AI with human values
• Vibe Coder: roles using AI-assisted coding tools to build products without traditional programming, sought by companies including TikTok and YouTube
• Chief AI Officer: a C-suite position appearing at firms like PwC and Accenture, with salaries estimated between $265,000 and $494,000

At the same time, gig-style AI work is also expanding. Platforms like Scale AI and Mercor pay workers to evaluate AI outputs, train language models, or record everyday tasks. Hourly pay ranges from $15 to roughly $200, depending on the task and expertise required. The reality of these jobs is often bleak though.

Despite this hiring activity, the broader question of how much AI will displace workers remains contested. James Manyika, Senior Vice President at Google, argues the impact will be significant but slower than many predict. Speaking to Platformer, he said that while more individual tasks can now be automated, the number of jobs where 90 percent or more of tasks are automatable remains below 10 percent. He attributes this to the complexity of most jobs, which involve coupled tasks where automating one step does not eliminate the need for human involvement in others.

Manyika pushed back directly on predictions from executives at Microsoft and Anthropic who have suggested large-scale job losses within one to two years. “Some of those predictions were made two years ago — that in two years, 50% of jobs would be wiped out,” he told Platformer. “Well, two years is up. Let’s take a look.”

He acknowledged that the nature of many jobs is changing rapidly, particularly in software development, where engineers now spend more time directing AI agents and less time writing code manually. But he argued that demand for software itself continues to grow, which offsets displacement.

Manyika expressed more concern about transitions than job loss itself. He pointed to the globalization era as a cautionary example, where even modest aggregate disruption caused serious harm to specific workers and communities that lacked adequate support systems. He called for stronger training programs, wage insurance, and transition support as AI adoption accelerates.

Sources: Business Insider, Platformer