By Kweku Bolton
Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it is a present force reshaping industries across continents. From banking halls to farmlands, newsrooms to classrooms, and hospitals to clinics, AI is reducing reliance on human labour in routine tasks while demanding new skills at a pace many workers struggle to match. The result is a paradox: efficiency gains on one hand and widespread workforce displacement on the other. In situations that once required many workers to pool their ideas, AI can now complete tasks in a matter of seconds.
In banking, automation has redefined the very core of customer service and back-office operations. Chatbots and virtual assistants now handle millions of queries once managed by call centre staff. Loan applications are processed faster, compliance is monitored, and fraud is detected with a precision that outpaces human teams. Robotic security cameras monitor activities, ensuring workplaces are more secure than human surveillance alone. A study in Ghana’s financial sector highlights the rapid adoption of AI, echoing the World Economic Forum’s projection that half of all work tasks could be automated by 2025. Clerical and administrative roles are shrinking, even as banks invest in specialised positions in data science, cybersecurity, and digital product design. Global firms such as International Business Machines (IBM) and Accenture, the world’s largest management and technology consulting firm, have slowed hiring in traditional functions while expanding AI engineering teams abroad. PwC’s 2025 AI Jobs Barometer underscores the urgency, noting that skills in AI-exposed jobs are evolving 66 per cent faster than in other fields.
In agriculture, AI-driven mechanisation is transforming practices that have remained labour-intensive for centuries. Precision farming, drones, and machine-learning models now monitor soil health, predict weather, and optimise planting schedules. A global leader in agricultural machinery, John Deere has embedded AI into equipment to reduce reliance on manual labour. In Africa, where agriculture remains the backbone of employment, this shift is profound: yields and efficiency rise, but demand for low-skilled farm labour declines. The majority of African farmers still rely on traditional methods, but experts warn that adopting modern AI-driven practices across the agricultural value chain is essential for long-term sustainability. Without investment in reskilling, rural communities risk exclusion from emerging opportunities in agritech, data analysis, and supply chain management.
The media industry is equally disrupted across radio, television, print, online platforms, and social media. AI systems now generate news summaries, edit video, and even produce articles, reducing the need for junior reporters, copy editors, and production staff. AI is also emerging as a newscaster, master of ceremonies, and voice-over artist, reducing human involvement. Robotic cameras record video and audio automatically, while transcription and subtitling software replace manual teams. Recommendation algorithms drive audience engagement more effectively than traditional marketing departments. Newsrooms worldwide are shrinking, with Reuters and the Associated Press already using AI to produce financial reports and sports updates, cutting costs but eroding entry-level opportunities for journalists.
The health sector faces similar upheaval. An AI model dubbed BiomedParse, which uses OpenAI’s GPT-4, can examine CT scans, MRIs, X-ray images, ultrasounds, and more. Microsoft’s AI tool analyzes medical imagery, while AI-powered imaging systems detect cancers and cardiovascular diseases with accuracy rivaling radiologists, reducing demand for large diagnostic teams. In 2024, researchers introduced an AI model called FastGlioma that can analyze surgical data in seconds during brain tumour operations. The system detected residual cancerous tissue with about 92 per cent accuracy in just 10 seconds, dramatically outperforming standard methods. Administrative tasks such as billing and scheduling are increasingly automated, while robotic surgery assistants and predictive analytics streamline patient care abroad. In Africa, telemedicine platforms expand access but reduce reliance on local health workers for routine consultations. The World Economic Forum estimates that up to 20 per cent of healthcare administrative jobs could be automated globally by 2030, even as new opportunities emerge in health informatics and digital therapeutics.
In education, intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive learning platforms, and automated grading tools are reshaping classrooms. Universities abroad increasingly rely on AI to personalise learning, reducing the demand for teaching assistants and examiners. For instance, Google’s AI tools, including Gemini, NotebookLM, and NebulaONE, are fundamentally transforming teaching and learning. In Africa, AI-driven e-learning expands access but lowers the need for in-person instructors in rural areas. Increasingly, students turn to AI to generate answers for assignments, making learning easier but raising concerns about the erosion of deep study skills. Many students now rely more on AI than on purchasing study books to improve their academic performance. UNESCO warns that up to 40 per cent of routine educational tasks could be automated, shifting teachers from content delivery to mentorship.
Across these sectors, the common thread is unmistakable: AI delivers efficiency gains but displaces workers where reskilling is absent. Banking reduces clerical staff, agriculture lowers manual labour, media cuts junior editorial roles, health automates diagnostics, and education streamlines teaching support. Unless governments and industries invest in workforce transitions, AI risks widening inequality, particularly in Africa’s agriculture-heavy economies and in global media and education systems where entry-level opportunities are vanishing.
Ultimately, AI is not eliminating work but reshaping it. The challenge lies not in the disappearance of jobs themselves, but in the mismatch between displaced workers and the skills required for emerging opportunities. The undeniable fact is that AI cannot perform tasks completely without human direction and control to ensure they are executed as required.
