The AI revolution: Is your career safe from automated replacement?

Artificial intelligence is very quickly becoming more involved in our everyday lives.

What initially started as a simple chatbot has evolved into independent systems capable of reasoning, decision-making, and continuous self-improvement.

As AI continues to grow and change industries, many students — including myself — are questioning whether their chosen careers can survive and adapt to this technological revolution.

I’m a third-year international student from Ukraine at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. I’m studying for a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in entrepreneurial leadership. Choosing this major was not an easy decision for me.

In high school, I was strongly interested in law but did not want to be a lawyer. I also enjoyed numbers and calculations, but I could not imagine dedicating my entire career to economics or accounting.

I was also fascinated by globalization, innovation, and the way different systems interact, but not every field allows these interests to coexist.

Business became the perfect balance.

When I began studying at KPU, I realized how much this field aligned with my mindset and ambitions. Despite intense competition, I still want to pursue a career in this field after graduation.

Unlike many traditional disciplines, business is not tied to one objective. It teaches adaptability, strategic thinking, and leadership — skills that are especially valuable in an era driven by AI.

When I look at my future, the reality is complex because of AI.

From an employee’s perspective, many entry-level positions seem highly vulnerable. Tasks like data entry, basic analysis, and administrative work can be completed faster by AI.

This shift makes getting internships and junior roles more difficult — students are no longer competing only with each other, but also with AI.

ADP Research found that from late 2022 to July 2025, jobs with high exposure to AI resulted in employment for workers aged 22 to 25, to decrease by six per cent. However, the number of employees aged 30 and older increased between six to 13 per cent in the same job categories.

AI is affecting younger workers and recent graduates. Entry-level roles, the first steps into the workforce, are shrinking. Meanwhile, experienced roles, which require leadership and strategic thinking, remain in demand.

AI is raising the bar for what it means to be employable. The higher someone moves up the career hierarchy, the more human skills become essential.

From the perspective of an entrepreneur, AI actually creates many opportunities. It’s a tool to invent new products, reduce costs, and even build technology-driven startups without advanced coding knowledge.

Many founders today, like Netflix and a 2024 Coca-Cola Christmas advertisement, use AI to handle marketing, content creation, and customer insights.

Upwork reported that of the more than 120 jobs that AI is unlikely to replace, many are leadership and strategy based. Experienced positions like CEOs and human resources managers remain resistant to replacement.

As a business student, I’m competing with my peers and AI. However, in the long term, learning how to work with AI, rather than against it, will strengthen me as an entrepreneur.

AI is neither good or bad, but it is life-changing. Its impact across industries is unavoidable.

While AI will increase efficiency, support higher roles, and remove repetitive tasks, it will also cause fewer entry-level opportunities, creating greater challenges for individuals without higher education or adaptable skills.

This new reality requires adjustment, rather than resistance.