When people talk about artificial intelligence, automation, or new technologies, one of the first questions that usually comes up is what happens to jobs. Will certain roles disappear? Will companies need fewer employees? What skills will still be valuable in five or ten years? These questions have become increasingly difficult to answer because technology is no longer changing just one industry at a time.
AI is entering offices, robotics is transforming manufacturing and logistics, and even autonomous cars are moving from experimental projects into real-world services. The more important question, however, may not be which jobs technology will eliminate, but how the nature of work itself is changing and whether people, businesses, and education systems are prepared for it.
The arrival of autonomous rides in Zagreb is a useful example of a much wider shift. In August 2026, Uber began offering autonomous rides in the city through its platform, with the Zagreb-based company Verne and autonomous driving technology from Pony.ai involved in the service. For now, trained human operators remain in the vehicles during the initial phase. The story is interesting not simply because a car can drive itself, but because of what has to happen behind the scenes to make that possible.
An autonomous vehicle depends on software engineers, AI specialists, data analysts, technicians, cybersecurity experts, operations teams, business managers, legal professionals and many others. One technology can therefore change the tasks performed by one group of workers while creating new responsibilities for another.
This is an important way to think about technological change more generally. We often describe automation as a process in which machines replace people, but that description misses much of what actually happens. Technology tends to automate certain tasks rather than entire occupations. A person may spend less time performing repetitive work and more time managing systems, solving problems, communicating with customers or making decisions that require human judgement. At the same time, completely new roles can emerge around the technology. The result is not necessarily a world with no jobs but a world in which the jobs themselves are different.
There is a legitimate concern that some jobs will disappear as technology becomes more capable. If autonomous vehicles become widespread, for example, there may eventually be less demand for people whose primary responsibility is driving. AI is already capable of performing certain administrative, analytical, and creative tasks, while automation has been changing manufacturing and logistics for decades. These changes can have serious consequences for workers, particularly when people do not have an obvious path into the new roles being created.
At the same time, history suggests that technological progress often creates new forms of employment alongside the jobs it disrupts. Computers transformed office work while creating entire industries around software, IT, cybersecurity and digital services. The internet changed retail, media and communication while creating businesses and professions that had not previously existed. The smartphone changed how companies interact with customers and created an enormous ecosystem of applications, platforms and services. The same pattern is now emerging with AI, robotics and automation. The challenge is not to assume that every displaced worker will automatically find a new role, but to understand what the emerging economy will require and how people can realistically develop those skills.
This distinction between job replacement and job transformation is becoming increasingly important. A company introducing AI may not need fewer employees overall; it may simply need employees who spend their time differently.
This leads to another question: if jobs are changing, what skills will people need?
The answer is unlikely to be one specific technical skill. Some people will need advanced knowledge of AI, robotics, software engineering or data science, but the wider workforce will also need a basic understanding of how these technologies work and how to use them effectively. At the same time, skills that are difficult to automate: critical thinking, communication, creativity, judgement, leadership, collaboration and problem-solving are likely to remain important.
Someone starting a career today could potentially work with technologies that do not yet exist in their current form. A job that seems highly specialised today could look completely different ten years from now. That makes the traditional idea of education as something that happens primarily at the beginning of a career increasingly outdated. People may need to continue learning throughout their working lives, whether through formal education, professional development, short courses or practical experience.
Education has an increasingly important role to play as technology changes the skills businesses need. Many of the emerging roles sit between traditional academic disciplines, combining areas such as business, technology, data, strategy and management. An autonomous transportation company, for example, may need engineers and computer scientists, but it also needs professionals who understand business models, finance, regulation, customer behaviour and how to use emerging technologies strategically. The same applies across industries as artificial intelligence and automation become part of everyday business operations.
This is creating a challenge for universities and business schools. Students still need strong foundations in their chosen fields, but they also need to understand how technologies such as AI are changing the way organisations operate and make decisions. A business professional does not necessarily need to become a software engineer, but developing a practical understanding of AI can help them identify opportunities, evaluate new technologies and make better strategic decisions.
This is one of the reasons programmes such as SSBM Geneva’s MBA in Artificial Intelligence are becoming increasingly relevant to the future of business education: they reflect a growing demand for professionals who can connect management knowledge with an understanding of artificial intelligence and its practical business applications.