For years, headlines have warned that artificial intelligence could wipe out millions of jobs. The spectre of mass unemployment has become a staple of political debates and economic forecasts. Yet new evidence suggests the reality is more nuanced, one of simultaneous disruption and creation, with AI transforming work rather than replacing it wholesale.
Jobs lost, jobs gained
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 paints a picture of churn rather than collapse. By 2030, the report estimates, 170 million jobs will be created globally while 92 million will be displaced, amounting to a net gain of 78 million jobs, a 7% increase on today’s total employment. The scale of disruption is nonetheless striking: 22% of all existing jobs are expected to be affected in some way over the next five years.
Technology is at the heart of this transformation. “AI and information processing technologies” are cited by 86% of global employers as drivers of business change by 2030. But unlike past waves of automation, the rise of generative and agentic AI points toward augmentation as much as substitution. While roles such as data entry clerks, bank tellers and telemarketers are predicted to decline sharply, demand is surging for AI specialists, big data analysts, software developers and fintech engineers.
Freeing humans for more valuable work
For Roberto Zicaro, Chief Operating Officer of the Italy-based company AI Technologies, the popular narrative of AI simply “taking jobs” misses the bigger story. His firm has built enterprise-grade virtual assistants now adopted by major iGaming operators, capable of managing millions of monthly interactions.
“The value is not in replacing people,” Zicaro told SiGMA News. “But in freeing them from repetitive tasks so that they can focus on strategic decisions while benefiting from far more powerful analytical tools.” The WEF report reinforces this view, noting that by 2030, 34% of workplace tasks will be shared between humans and technology.
AI is already being deployed across industries. Rather than just accelerating call-centre scripts or automating forms, AI systems are increasingly designed to learn, explained Zicaro. He added that each customer interaction with their platform “fuels a process of semantic analysis that identifies recurring patterns, flags potential issues and suggests new areas for automation.”
For businesses, this means customer service is no longer a sunk cost but a source of intelligence: data that can inform product design, marketing campaigns and risk management.
The skills to survive the shift
Still, fears about displacement are not unfounded. The WEF report highlights that some roles are set to see the steepest declines, with millions of jobs at risk. By 2030, employers expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change, with AI and big data, cybersecurity and technological literacy ranking as the fastest-growing areas of demand.
For workers, the message is clear: reskilling is not optional. If the global workforce were 100 people, the WEF estimates, 59 would need training by 2030. Of these, 29 could be upskilled in their current roles, 19 reskilled into new positions, and 11 may be left behind without adequate opportunities.
The story of AI and jobs, then, is neither a march to redundancy nor a guaranteed utopia. It is one of flux, risk and opportunity. For societies willing to invest in reskilling, adaptation and responsible deployment, the fear of AI could yet be transformed into a moment of renewal.
In the iGaming sector, these questions will be on the table when JA Malta attends the SiGMA Euro-Med conference in Valletta (01–03 September 2025), joining industry specialists to discuss a range of issues, including how entrepreneurs and the wider workforce must integrate AI into their strategies.
