AI expert warns these jobs could disappear in just 2 years: Is your role at risk?

In a world increasingly fascinated—and alarmed—by the rise of artificial intelligence, a new warning has reignited age-old anxieties: What happens when your job becomes obsolete, not due to downsizing or outsourcing, but because a machine does it better, faster, and cheaper?

Amjad Masad, an AI expert and the founder of the tech development platform Replit, didn’t mince his words during a recent conversation on Steven Bartlett’s widely followed podcast The Diary of a CEO. As Bartlett posed a now-familiar question— “What jobs are going to be impacted?”—Masad delivered a chillingly concise answer: “All of those.”

Countdown to Displacement
Masad’s remark wasn’t some vague tech prophecy. He elaborated with unflinching clarity: any job that relies on routine, repetitive computer tasks is on the brink of vanishing—and the clock is ticking. “If your job is as routine as it comes,” he said, “your job is gone in the next couple of years.”

He specifically named positions like data entry clerks and quality assurance testers—roles that require repetitive actions such as clicking, typing, or verifying data within rigid workflows. These, he explained, are ripe for AI-powered automation and are among the first to be swept away in the coming employment revolution. Tools capable of mimicking these actions are already flooding the market, and the pace of adoption is accelerating.

Not Even the White-Collar Elite Are Safe
What’s even more startling is that Masad didn’t stop at routine clerical work. He suggested that even “specialized” professions like accountants and lawyers could face significant disruption. With generative AI capable of analyzing legal contracts, preparing financial reports, or even drafting complex documents in seconds, entire sectors once considered insulated from automation are beginning to feel the ground shift beneath them.

However, he did note one area that may hold the line—at least for now. “The healthcare ecosystem is hard to predict because of regulation,” Masad said. Stringent guidelines, human oversight, and ethical considerations may act as a buffer for medical professionals, keeping AI on the sidelines for certain critical decisions.

“Text In, Text Out” = Trouble
What’s most vulnerable, Masad emphasized, are jobs where the inputs and outputs are purely digital—what he called “text in, text out.” These roles, often involving writing, data processing, or visual design, are already being tested by AI platforms. From graphic design to financial reporting, the software is now capable of delivering surprisingly competent results at a fraction of the time and cost.

It’s a vision not far from the techno-utopian future painted by Bill Gates, who has suggested AI will eventually free us to work fewer hours. But Masad offers no such comforting narrative—just a sober analysis of what’s likely to come.

A Fairer World, or a Fiercer One?
So what happens to the millions potentially displaced by this wave of automation? Masad didn’t sugarcoat it. “No pain, no gain,” he said, signaling an era of upheaval before any societal balance can be restored. According to him, the disruption could eventually dismantle oppressive systems and lead to a “fairer world”—but not without collateral damage.

That remark sparked a backlash. One social media user criticized the apparent flippancy: “‘No pain no gain’ in response to millions of people losing their jobs and potential societal collapse in part because of your invention is crazy work.” Another added, “He didn’t have any remorse in how he said it. So scary to hear such mentality.”

Between Promise and Panic
Masad’s outlook is far from universally shared. Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “Godfather of AI,” recently stepped back from Google with a chilling warning: that artificial intelligence could soon spell the downfall of human society. His alarmist view is catching on among experts and citizens alike who see AI less as an opportunity and more as an existential threat.

Still, between the hopeful dreams of less work and more freedom and the dark visions of mass unemployment and societal breakdown, the truth likely lies somewhere in between. What’s certain is that the AI revolution is no longer a distant future—it’s unfolding in real time, and no profession is immune from its reach.

As the race between human adaptability and machine efficiency speeds up, perhaps the most urgent question is no longer if your job is safe, but how long until it isn’t.