AI, AI Agents Will Create 'Unprecedented Opportunities And Profound Risks,' World Economic Forum Says

Artificial intelligence and AI agents are changing the workforce and the job market, according to a report from the World Economic Forum. 

The Details: According to the WEF's The Future of Jobs Report 2025, 41% of employers surveyed expect to reduce the size of their workforces in the next five years, specifically in roles "where AI can replicate people's work." 

The survey's respondents expect the fastest-declining roles to include cashiers and ticket clerks, administrative assistants and executive secretaries, printing workers, accountants and auditors. The WEF primarily attributed the decline in demand for these clerical roles to AI and information processing technologies, robots and autonomous systems. 

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Growth in AI and information processing technology is expected to create 11 million jobs, while eliminating nine million others, more than any other technology trend. 

The WEF pointed to robotics and autonomous systems as the largest net job displacer, with a net decline of five million jobs.

"Trends such as generative AI and rapid technological shifts are upending industries and labor markets, creating both unprecedented opportunities and profound risks," said Till Leopold, head of Work, Wages and Job Creation at WEF. 

"The time is now for businesses and governments to work together, invest in skills, and build an equitable and resilient global workforce," Leopold added. 

AI Agents: Some companies like Oracle Corp. ORCL and Salesforce, Inc. CRM are developing AI agents designed to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks. These AI agents could contribute to some of the job displacement the WEF highlighted. 

Oracle offers more than 50 role-based AI agents within its Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Suite which can perform tasks in the areas of finance, sales, customer service and marketing. Salesforce's Agentforce is an AI platform that enables companies and organizations to build customized autonomous AI agents for various business functions.

Experts predict AI agents will grow to become commonplace in the near term. 

"Agents are the next step in putting AI to work in the real world. Consumers should expect almost every major business they interact with to create an agent. We'll see agents supporting customers in banking, insurance, healthcare and retail. By this time next year, agents will be a reality of our collective digital lives," Paul Drews, managing partner for Salesforce Ventures told Fast Company. 

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