Children born in 2017 are unlikely to grow up to be truck drivers or insurance underwriters. That’s because these are two of the jobs most likely to be done by robots in the near future, according to research by Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne from the University of Oxford. But what jobs will survive the threat of automation? Read ahead to find out which jobs are safest.

The data-driven and math part of being a nuclear engineer is largely supported by computers that do complicated math for you. However, a huge part of this area of science hinges on creativity, and being able to form new theories based on processed data. Nuclear engineers will never be completely replaced by robots, but big parts of their jobs have already been taken over.

These professionals are responsible for the financial health of an organization. There are already big portions of their work that have been automated, such as compiling effective databases, producing and formatting reports and some spreadsheet-based tasks. For financial managers, the challenge will not be to keep their jobs safe from robots, but to incorporate automation successfully into their jobs to become more efficient. 

At the same time, innovations like cloud accounting and finance automation software can help financial managers make the most of machine learning and artificial intelligence. They can help with tasks like invoicing, payroll administration, financial analysis and financial statement preparation.

Some writing is already done by robots. Big news organizations are already looking at automating certain tasks, like writing TV listings or stock market figures. But it is unlikely that robots will ever win Nobel Prizes for Literature, as writing relies so much on emotions and creativity, two things robots lack.

Writers shouldn't be too complacent, though. While it's unlikely that we'll all be reading robot-authored novels in the near future, in 2016 a Japanese AI program co-authored a short novel - and almost won a literary prize. The Day A Computer Writes A Novel passed the initial screening round, and although it didn't win any awards, that's still quite an achievement for AI.

Looking after animals and keeping them healthy is a job that requires passion and flexibility. A deep connection to the animals is required, as well as an encyclopaedic knowledge of diseases and medications. Robots are already being used for training, and for everyday tasks like lifting and moving animals. The general opinion seems to be that robot-assisted surgical equipment is very expensive, so until it can show that it adds value, most veterinarians will give it a miss.

Curiously, veterinary technicians (people who study the procedures used in the medical care of animals) are even less likely to be replaced by robots according to research, despite the job being more data driven. 

Lawyers rely on their eloquence, knowledge and ability to argue to win cases. Robots might help them process data or find long-lost case law precedents, but they will never be able to turn a jury in the same way a human can. However, not all legal professionals are safe. Deloitte estimated that about 114,000 legal jobs are likely to be automated by 2036, and that's a figure that should worry paralegals who are at a 94% risk of losing their jobs to tech.

Though there is room for automation in a pharmacists’ role (measuring and verifying medication in particular), these healthcare professionals also play important patient-facing roles that could not be automated. Pharmacists are often the first point of call for vulnerable people who need medical assistance, or those who cannot afford a trip to the doctor’s. 

In recent years, many pharmacies have adopted robot technology, with automated and online dispensing, patient checks and even medication vending machines. The cost of this tech is coming down to the point where it's becoming a real option but rather than dispense with pharmacy staff completely, AI frees them up for jobs requiring human interaction.

Robots are not very good at multitasking. They are usually programmed to perform one function flawlessly, but registered nurses often have to operate around many different fields, from trauma to psychiatry and pharmacy. 

Some of the everyday functions nurses might carry out can be done by tech, though - for example biosensor pateches that can keep track of temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and more. Relay robots can transport medical devices, medications and laboratory samples around hospitals, and robotic nurses in Japan even schedule appointments and help lift patients.

The clergy is unlikely to ever be replaced by robots, and that’s true of every religion. While there is an opportunity to automate parts of the administrative side of being a religious figure or leader, it is unlikely that robots would be able to preach, guide and inspire any flock. 

Not everyone is averse to the idea of AI clergy though. In 2019, Franciscan Sister Ilia Delio suggested that robots could potentially make good priests, as they had advantages like being gender neutral. She said that the priesthood should be 'reimagined' to include robots.

In a field of study dedicated to understanding humankind, it’s no surprise that robots might not qualify for the job! Anthropologists look at fragments of history and come up with theories about how civilizations thought and lived. Though robots can look at the data, they will never be able to produce creative theories.

These professionals are highly trained and rely on their experience a lot! After all a forest is a complex ecosystem made up of millions of species in perfect balance and harmony. To manage a forest is to intuitively understand that microcosm of life because, in reality, there is so much that we just don’t know and species we haven’t discovered. Robots need data, not intuition. 

In 2021, however, an autonomous robot forester was announced by Milrem Robotics. The eco-friendly robot can carry up to 300 saplings and plant a hectare of forest in less than six hours. Although it's designed to be used in commercial forests, in the future robot foresters could help humans to restore natural forests too.

Making sense of art is an incredibly subjective work. Curators use their own knowledge and experience to put together a show or collection. Because the value of art goes beyond any numerical or data figure we could put on it, it’s unlikely a robot or algorithm would get it right.

A 2019 report, ‘AI and the Arts: How Machine Learning is Changing Artistic Work’, backed up the University of Oxford study, saying that while Machine Learning (ML) could be a useful tool for artists, art cannot be replicated using ML, and added, " You cannot – for now – transfer life experience into data."

These highly-skilled professionals help people who have trouble with their speech. Because the causes of speech problems can range from medical to psychological and beyond, each patient will have a very specific need – something that robots seldom cope well with. 

One German study of speech language therapists showed that they would be happy to include robot assistance in some aspects of their work. AI such as voice banking, for example, uses algorithms and devices to help people record their speech if they are losing communicative ability. Assessments are another area where robotics could be useful.

HR managers already employ some robotic process automation to help them compile effective databases, produce and format reports and some spreadsheet-based tasks, according to Deloitte. But the people management and motivational aspects of the role are unlikely to ever be automated. 

Some HR teams could be replaced, at least partly, by robots in the next few years, though. A Singapore-based study in 2020 found that out of 27 HR functions that were analysed, 24 were likely to be impacted by technology. There were only three HR roles that weren't likely to be affected: head of talent management, HR business partner and manager of organisation development.

Children are complex and unpredictable little creatures and, as such, are a complete mystery for robots. The range of emotions and the depth of human experience required to deal with, let alone educate, small children is vast and quite beyond the reach of artificial intelligence at the moment.

These highly-specialized surgeons operate on the face, teeth and jaw. It’s not impossible that autonomous robots will eventually be able to perform surgery, but for the foreseeable future they won’t. Every face, jaw and head is different and there are so many nerve endings and delicate balances to strike which means the human eye, and its ability to tell tissue apart, is still king in maxillofacial surgery.  

A 2022 report looked at the feasibility of using robots for this type of surgery and found that there could be advantages such as fewer complications and less time in hospital. While nothing is going to replace the expertise of a trained surgeon, don't be surprised if robot surgery becomes more widely available as soon as the systems get smaller and they learn how to handle jaw bone.

Art is not data driven and neither is human movement. This means that robots will struggle to understand what makes a good ballet or music video, therefore choreographers are safe.

These professionals rely a great deal on their emotional intelligence and wide knowledge of conditions, symptoms and patients’ histories. As such, robots are unlikely to ever be able to grasp the emotional complexities of the role.

Tending to people’s mental health is a sensitive job. Though sometimes diagnosis is straightforward, other times people suffer from a range of issues and symptoms can manifest in a variety of ways. The Oxford study clearly agrees that the job can only be performed by another human, and not a machine. Or can it?

Research from Harvard University suggests that psychologists might not have the monopoly on empathy and that some aspects could soon be automated. The technology is developing so fast that AI technologies are expected to be able to be more empathetic than some humans, like psychologists, especially if they are using CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) tools which are easy to standardise.

Recreational therapists help sick or disabled people back into health using activity and recreation. It’s a highly-skilled profession that involves a constant assessment of the physical and psychological needs of a patient. A robot would lack the subtlety and emotional intelligence to meet those needs.