Brian Oigara
By Brian Oigara
@themtkenyatimes
Worth Nothing
“AI has moved from science fiction to everyday life. We interact with it through Google Maps, social media feeds, voice assistants, and even mobile banking apps.
These changes are not just about efficiency but they’re also about cost. Businesses can save money by automating tasks that would otherwise require salaries, insurance, and human error management. While this makes economic sense for companies, it creates anxiety for workers.”
When John, a bank teller in Nairobi, heard that his branch would be introducing artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline customer service, he wasn’t sure how to feel. On one hand, the promise of reduced workload sounded good. On the other, he quietly asked himself a question that more and more Kenyans are now asking: Is my job safe?
AI has moved from science fiction to everyday life. We interact with it through Google Maps, social media feeds, voice assistants, and even mobile banking apps. But as AI systems become more advanced with the capability of writing articles, diagnosing diseases, driving cars, or answering customer queries, they’re no longer just tools. They’re becoming co-workers, and in some cases, replacements.
Across the globe, AI is transforming industries. In Kenya, banks are automating loan approvals. Supermarkets are using AI to monitor stock and even serve customers. Schools are experimenting with AI-based tutoring platforms that can assist teachers to generate lesson plans and schemes of work in a second. Hospitals are using AI to detect diseases earlier and more accurately.
These changes are not just about efficiency but they’re also about cost. Businesses can save money by automating tasks that would otherwise require salaries, insurance, and human error management. While this makes economic sense for companies, it creates anxiety for workers.
Jobs that involve repetitive, routine, or easily predictable tasks are at the highest risk. These include roles like data entry clerks, typists, and even some customer service agents. A 2023 report by the World Economic Forum projected that 44% of work tasks worldwide could be automated within the next five years. Kenya is not immune.
Which Jobs Are at Risk in Kenya?
In Kenya, the following sectors are likely to be affected:
- Banking: AI chatbots and automated systems are reducing the need for tellers and call center agents.
- Transportation: Ride-hailing platforms may eventually move toward self-driving technology.
- Retail: Supermarkets and e-commerce platforms are using AI for inventory, customer service and customer behavior analysis.
- Journalism: AI writing tools like ChatGPT are already being used to draft articles, threatening entry-level writing jobs.
- Education: AI-powered tutoring may reduce the demand for some classroom assistants and exam markers.
Even creative fields are feeling the heat. Artists, translators, and even songwriters are facing competition from AI tools that can generate poems, translate large volumes of texts, music, and art at the click of a button.
The Flip Side: Jobs AI Can’t Easily Replace
Not all is doom and gloom. AI struggles in areas that require human emotion, complex decision-making, or hands-on skill. Jobs in the following areas are likely to be safer:
- Healthcare: While AI can support doctors, it cannot replace nurses’ empathy or a surgeon’s hand.
- Skilled trades: Plumbers, electricians, and mechanics require physical presence and problem-solving AI can’t mimic.
- Education leadership: Teachers do more than deliver content — they mentor, guide, and inspire.
- Security and emergency services: These roles require real-time human judgment, physical intervention, and situational awareness.
More importantly, new jobs are emerging. These include AI trainers, data ethicists, prompt engineers and cybersecurity specialists many of which didn’t exist five years ago.
Preparing for the AI Future
So, how do you make sure your job or your children’s jobs are future-proof? Experts agree on a few key strategies:
- Lifelong Learning: The workplace is evolving fast. Reskilling and upskilling will be essential. Learn to work with AI tools, not against them.
- Focus on Human Skills: Creativity, empathy, leadership, communication — these are difficult for AI to replicate and will become more valuable.
- Digital Literacy: Whether you are a farmer using AI to check weather patterns, or a teacher using an AI tutor app, digital skills are now survival skills.
The Kenyan government, too, has a role to play. Regulations must be put in place to protect workers, ensure ethical use of AI, and promote access to digital infrastructure. Programs like Ajira Digital are a good start, but more targeted initiatives will be needed.
AI isn’t here to replace everyone; it’s here to change how we work. The key is to adapt, stay curious, and remain flexible. The real danger lies not in AI itself, but in being unprepared for a world where AI is part of everything.
The question is no longer “Is my job safe?” but “Am I ready to evolve with it?”
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