In this blog post, we’ll examine how the Fourth Industrial Revolution—which is rapidly advancing, driven by artificial intelligence—will transform our jobs in the future, focusing on two aspects: the decline of existing jobs and the emergence of new professions.
The Potential of Artificial Intelligence Demonstrated by AlphaGo
In March 2016, a Go match took place between AlphaGo and Lee Sedol, a 9-dan Go player. Until just before the first round began, most people believed that artificial intelligence could not defeat humans in the game of Go. This is because the number of possible moves in Go is astronomically high, and since there are no set patterns, it is difficult to predict how an opponent will move. However, when AlphaGo won the first game, the question “Can a computer beat a human?” quickly shifted to “Can a human beat a computer?” And as if to mock people’s expectations, AlphaGo defeated 9-dan Lee Sedol by a score of 4 to 1. AlphaGo’s victory was an event that powerfully demonstrated to the world that artificial intelligence can surpass human capabilities even in fields requiring complex judgment and strategy. Although the concept of artificial intelligence itself has existed for decades, AlphaGo’s victory explosively heightened public interest in AI and served as a catalyst for recognizing it as the core of future technology. Since then, AI has been integrating into our daily lives and industries at an ever-faster pace through advancements such as generative AI and large-scale language models. So, what exactly is the Fourth Industrial Revolution—a concept closely linked to these developments in AI?
What does the Fourth Industrial Revolution mean?
The First Industrial Revolution unfolded primarily in 18th-century Britain and can be described as a revolution in production methods driven by the steam engine and mechanization. With coal and iron as key resources, industries such as cotton textiles and ironmaking experienced significant growth. The Second Industrial Revolution took place from the late 19th century through the early 20th century, with the spread of electricity and mass production systems at its core. As the use of oil and steel expanded and industries such as chemicals and electrical engineering advanced, new industrial sectors were pioneered. The Third Industrial Revolution began in the mid-20th century with the development of semiconductors and computer technology, leading to the advent of personal computers in the 1970s and 1980s and the spread of the Internet in the 1990s. Advances in computers and information and communication technology (ICT) accelerated the automation of production and work processes, creating an environment in which machines could assist or replace human labor in many fields. In his book ‘The Third Industrial Revolution’, Jeremy Rifkin described the Third Industrial Revolution as a combination of new communication technologies and new energy systems, suggesting that these changes had the potential to create new social and economic structures distinct from existing centralized models.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution can be understood as a process in which various technologies—including artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous driving, 3D printing, and biotechnology—converge based on digital technologies developed during the Third Industrial Revolution, thereby transforming society and industry as a whole. The World Economic Forum describes the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a phenomenon in which advancements in various technologies—such as artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous driving, 3D printing, and nanotechnology—are transforming society and the economy, emphasizing in particular the convergence of the physical, digital, and biological realms.
While previous industrial revolutions developed around new energy sources and production technologies, electricity and mass production, and computers and information and communication technologies, the Fourth Industrial Revolution differs in that these technologies are interconnected and converging. With the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT), various devices and equipment are connected via networks, and with the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), production facilities and service systems can analyze their surroundings and operate more intelligently. Therefore, the Fourth Industrial Revolution can be described as a process in which the very way industries and society operate is transformed as digital technology merges with the physical environment—going beyond the mere emergence of new machines.
One of the core technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence refers to technology that enables computers to mimic or perform intelligent human behaviors. However, modern artificial intelligence does not stop at simply imitating human behavior. Across various fields of information technology, active efforts are underway to utilize AI to solve complex problems, analyze vast amounts of data, and assist human decision-making. Since the emergence of generative AI, it has been applied to a wide range of knowledge-based tasks, including writing, translation, image and video production, programming, customer service, and data analysis. Consequently, the role of AI in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is growing increasingly significant. So, how will the ever-evolving AI affect existing jobs?
To what extent will AI transform existing jobs?
In the past, many predicted that AI and robots would primarily replace repetitive, routine, and simple tasks. Indeed, as automation technology has advanced, the nature of jobs has shifted, particularly for simple, repetitive tasks. However, with the recent acceleration in the pace of AI development, the likelihood that not only unskilled jobs but also professional and knowledge-based work will be affected is growing. In particular, tasks that can be processed using digital data—such as document drafting, data analysis, customer service, translation, legal document review, and programming—may see significant changes in how they are performed as AI advances.
Past surveys by organizations such as the Korea Employment Information Service projected that a significant portion of jobs in finance and insurance, as well as in chemistry, materials, and mechanical engineering, are likely to be affected by AI and automation. In addition, repetitive tasks that have traditionally been performed by humans—such as those carried out by janitors, kitchen assistants, ticket agents, lottery sales clerks, parking attendants, and ushers—were identified as occupations highly likely to be replaced by robots and automation technology. A common thread in these projections is that repetitive, routine tasks—which can be performed by machines or software without the need for direct human intervention—are particularly vulnerable to automation.
However, the impact of AI is not limited to unskilled jobs. In professions requiring specialized knowledge and judgment—such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, financial experts, and researchers—the number of tasks where AI can be utilized is rapidly increasing. For example, AI can be used to analyze medical images and vast amounts of medical data, search legal documents, analyze financial data, and organize research data. This does not mean, however, that AI will immediately eliminate these professions entirely. Rather, it is highly likely that the nature of these jobs will evolve: among the various tasks that make up a profession, the parts that AI can perform well will be automated, while humans will focus more on areas where AI struggles—such as judgment, responsibility, interpersonal relationships, and creativity.
In fact, recent forecasts do not view the future of jobs solely as a simple “humans versus AI” conflict. The World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report 2025” projects that, due to the combined effects of technological change, demographic shifts, and economic factors, approximately 170 million new jobs will be created by 2030, while about 92 million existing jobs may be replaced or eliminated. Consequently, while a net increase of about 78 million jobs is expected, this does not mean that everyone will be able to keep their current jobs. It means that as some jobs disappear, new ones will emerge, and the nature of work in existing occupations may also change significantly.
In particular, while the importance of technology-related skills—such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cybersecurity—is growing, human capabilities such as creative thinking, flexibility, and resilience are also expected to remain highly valued.
So, will artificial intelligence simply take away people’s jobs as a result of the Fourth Industrial Revolution? If not, what new jobs will artificial intelligence create?
What new jobs will artificial intelligence create?
As the Fourth Industrial Revolution progresses, jobs that did not previously exist or had not received much attention are emerging. In past policies on new occupations announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the government distinguished between occupations it directly fosters and supports and those that naturally emerge in response to growing private-sector demand. Among the new occupations directly fostered and supported by the government are public procurement consultants and telemedicine coordinators. A public procurement consultant provides consulting services for the entire process—including planning, investigation, research, and assessment—related to procurement in the public sector, while a telemedicine coordinator is responsible for planning, coordinating, and supporting the efficient delivery of telemedicine services.
New occupations that have emerged organically due to increased private-sector demand include halal experts, smart farm builders, and Internet of Things (IoT) experts. A halal specialist provides consulting services to companies or products seeking halal certification, covering not only the relevant procedures but also matters related to product marketing, promotion, exports, and trade. A smart farm developer is responsible for developing and installing smart farms that allow crops to be cultivated and greenhouse environments to be monitored using information technology devices, such as smartphones, without having to visit the farm in person.
As such, industrial changes do not merely lead to the decline of existing occupations but also create new occupations and job roles. In particular, during the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as new technologies—such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, robotics, telemedicine, and smart farms—converge with existing industries, new roles are emerging not only for those who develop the technology but also for those who apply and manage it in the field, as well as for those who bridge the gap between technology and people. Therefore, the new occupations that will emerge in the future are unlikely to be limited solely to those involved in developing artificial intelligence itself; they are likely to expand to include roles that integrate and utilize AI across various industries. The World Economic Forum also forecasts that a significant proportion of future growth occupations will be roles directly linked to technological advancements.
How will our jobs change in 10 years?
As the Fourth Industrial Revolution progresses rapidly, artificial intelligence is advancing at a pace far faster than previously anticipated. The capabilities AlphaGo demonstrated in the specific domain of Go have now expanded to include various technologies, such as generative AI, and are influencing a wide range of tasks traditionally performed by humans—including writing, creating images, programming, and analyzing data. This underscores the need to prepare in advance for the changes that AI will bring.
AI is highly likely to influence the way work is done across a wide range of professions, including both routine and specialized roles. However, we do not necessarily need to view these changes solely through the lens of “job loss.” The key question is not whether AI will replace all human work, but how humans will collaborate with AI. If we entrust tasks that AI excels at to AI, while humans focus on areas that AI cannot easily replace—such as judgment, responsibility, creativity, empathy, and communication—we can create new forms of employment.
Ultimately, the job market ten years from now will not be exactly the same as it is today. Some professions may disappear or shrink in scale, while others may evolve to rely heavily on AI for significant portions of their work; new professions that do not yet exist may also emerge. As projected by the World Economic Forum, these changes in the job market are unlikely to result in a simple decline; rather, they will likely take the form of simultaneous creation of new jobs and replacement of existing ones. Therefore, what will be important going forward is not choosing a single specific profession and expecting it to be secure forever, but rather learning new tools and continuously expanding one’s capabilities in line with technological changes.
The forecast that AI will affect both routine and professional jobs will continue into the future. However, amid such changes, if we identify areas where we can collaborate with AI and develop uniquely human capabilities that AI cannot easily replace, we can devise new solutions to address job losses.
Furthermore, given that advancements in AI create new industries and occupations, the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on human jobs is by no means entirely negative. Ultimately, what we will be doing ten years from now will depend not only on what AI has become capable of doing, but also on how well humans have prepared to work alongside AI.
