AI could replace half of American jobs, McKinsey warns

"Artificial intelligence and robotics could automate more than half of all work carried out in the United States - with existing technology - according to a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute. The research finds that 57% of US work hours could be automated today if organisations redesigned workflows around the capabilities of AI agents and robots. The analysis suggests that nearly half of American jobs sit within occupations facing significant disruption from automation."

"Around 40% of the roles most vulnerable involve drafting, information processing and routine reasoning - tasks at which AI agents already excel. Hiring in some of these fields, including paralegals, office administrators and even computer programmers, has slowed as companies assess the potential for AI to absorb large portions of their workload. Physical roles are also at risk. Jobs performed in hazardous environments, such as warehouse operations or machinery handling, are highly likely to be replaced by robotics as adoption costs fall."

"Conversely, McKinsey found that roughly one-third of American jobs are difficult to automate because they require deeply human qualities - from empathy to dexterity. Nursing and social care are among the safest professions, with 70% of tasks requiring physical presence, compassion and intuitive decision-making that machines struggle to replicate. Maintenance and repair roles, which require judgment, adaptability and work in unpredictable environments, are also hard to automate."

Existing AI and robotics could automate about 57% of US work hours if organisations redesign workflows around AI agents and robots. Nearly half of American jobs sit within occupations facing significant disruption from automation. Around 40% of the most vulnerable roles involve drafting, information processing and routine reasoning, and hiring in fields such as paralegals, office administration and programming has slowed. Physical jobs in hazardous environments, like warehouse operations and machinery handling, are highly likely to be replaced by robotics as adoption costs fall. About one-third of jobs require human qualities—empathy, dexterity, judgment—and remain difficult to automate.

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