By Futurist Thomas Frey
When Tools Become Agents, New Jobs Emerge
What happens when your AI doesn’t just answer questions but acts on your behalf? When machines don’t just execute commands but make autonomous decisions? When reality itself becomes blended layer of physical, digital, and AI-generated experience?
New jobs emerge. Not renamed versions of existing work, but genuinely novel roles created by capabilities that didn’t exist before, constraints we’ve never faced, and social needs we’re just beginning to recognize.
I’m currently researching future jobs—roles that will exist by 2030 that don’t exist today. What follows are five examples that feel directionally correct to me, but I’m actively seeking input, critique, and additional examples from readers. If you work in emerging fields, see patterns I’m missing, or have ideas about jobs we’ll need that aren’t on anyone’s radar yet, I genuinely want to hear from you.
Let me walk you through five jobs that will feel obvious by 2030 but sound strange today—because they address problems we’re only starting to encounter.
Continue reading… “Five Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet But Will Be Essential by 2030”