A new Harvard-led study spanning six years shows that AI is disrupting the labor market in a more nuanced way than popular narratives suggest.
The Harvard Business Review says the study co-authored by Harvard Business School professor Suraj Srinivasan looked at a massive dataset of almost all US job vacancies from 2019 through March 2025.
The researchers used ChatGPT to categorize more than 19,000 job tasks involved in over 900 occupations to assess their potential for automation using generative AI models. They found that jobs requiring structured and repetitive tasks decreased by 13% since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. Meanwhile, jobs that involve more analytical, technical or creative work jumped 20% over the same timeframe.
Says Srinivasan,
“Rather than solely eliminating jobs, generative AI creates new demand in augmentation-prone roles, suggesting that human-AI collaboration is a key driver of labor market transformation.”
According to the study, jobs that can be augmented by AI involve some tasks that can be passed on to AI models in addition to tasks that require humans in the loop. Srinivasan says in finance, AI can look at the numbers and evaluate data, but a human ultimately makes the decision.
“Those most prone to augmentation tend to involve greater use of social and hands-on technical skills. Microbiologists, financial analysts, and clinical neuropsychologists are three examples with high augmentation potential.”
The researchers also found that the number of skills that can be automated is on a decline, while AI-related skills, such as prompt writing and the use of AI tools, are on the up and up.
Srinivasan and his team highlight that the study is limited to the near-term impact of generative AI in the US labor market. Its impact on other countries and long-term effects are uncertain as adoption scales.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at CapitalAI Daily are not investment advice. Investors should do their own due diligence before making any decisions involving securities, cryptocurrencies, or digital assets. Your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. CapitalAI Daily does not recommend the buying or selling of any assets, nor is CapitalAI Daily an investment advisor. See our Editorial Standards and Terms of Use.