Robyn AndersonCEO, Jam Ai · AI Implementation & Business Development Leader

A study suggests 1.4 billion people need AI skills to keep their jobs

20 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief commentary, Robyn Anderson highlights a recent study indicating that 1.4 billion people worldwide will need AI skills merely to retain their current employment. She notes that the shift isn’t about AI replacing workers directly, but about new tools boosting productivity for those who can use them. Anderson references a gathering of 2,700 AI researchers in Los Angeles who project that within the next 50–80 years, most, if not all, jobs could become automated. She concludes by pondering how future workdays might look for coming generations—whether people will primarily manage automated systems or if AI will even handle that management.

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Well, according to this study, 1.4 billion people are going to have to learn how to use AI just to keep their current job. And it's not like it'll replace them or anything. It's just that new systems are being introduced because people are seeing how much more effective somebody can be once they understand how to use these tools. A group of 2,700 AI researchers got together in LA and they said that between 50 and 80 years from now, most, if not all jobs will be automated. And it makes you wonder, what will a workday look like for our future grandchildren and great-grandchildren? And will it be something where they're managing automations, or will there be an AI for that too?