Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly capable, deeply integrating into our daily production and lifestyles. As AI continues to evolve, what employment opportunities will it create, and how can ordinary people seize these new prospects? This question, raised by a People's Daily Online user, follows a July 30 meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, which emphasized "deeply implementing the 'AI+' action to develop new forms of the intelligent economy."

When drafting a plan and feeling uncertain about the approach, people now turn to AI for insights. When launching new products on e-commerce platforms, AI can refine product images in just minutes. In some factories, repetitive tasks like handling and sorting are efficiently managed by intelligent robots. AI is booming, entering daily life and empowering countless industries. These changes bring both opportunities and challenges. What new industries and job roles will AI nurture, and will it replace human work? Let's examine the data.

The World Economic Forum's report predicts that by 2030, driven by factors like AI, approximately 92 million jobs globally will be displaced, while 170 million new roles will be created. Objectively, AI does trigger job adjustments. Some work processes that are highly repetitive and standardized are increasingly handled by AI, altering labor demand in those areas. However, with both job gains and losses, and evolving task content, overall employment opportunities are not necessarily shrinking. More notably, as AI adoption accelerates, existing employment structures and work patterns are shifting. New opportunities arise partly from AI's integration with traditional industries and partly from the AI sector itself.

Recently, an e-commerce platform sought to hire an "AI Visual Designer," requiring proficiency in AI tools for tasks like asset generation and style experimentation. Previously, page design could take days; now, with AI, multiple design schemes can be generated in hours. This frees designers to focus more on creativity, style innovation, and brand identity. Similar transformations are unfolding across many fields. In the legal industry, AI quickly screens for compliance risks and organizes legal provisions, allowing professionals to concentrate on complex case analysis. In manufacturing, cross-disciplinary talent with both engineering knowledge and digital literacy is increasingly in demand. AI is opening more avenues for ordinary people to pursue cross-sector development and career transitions.

Simultaneously, the rapid growth of the AI industry itself has brought a host of new professions into the public eye. Since 2019, among 110 new occupations released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, over 30 are closely tied to AI. A typical example is the AI training specialist. In 2025, Shanghai alone saw over 10,000 individuals participate in vocational skills assessments for this role. Local industry leaders note that the market currently craves hybrid talents who understand both AI technology and specific vertical industry scenarios. Beyond this, emerging roles like robot product managers, digital human designers, and prompt engineers are becoming popular employment choices for young people.

AI not only creates new jobs but also lowers the barrier to entrepreneurship. In the past, developing a digital product required building a team and substantial capital, consuming significant manpower and resources. Now, with AI, a single individual can independently handle coding, content creation, and operational optimization. Some cross-border e-commerce practitioners use AI to rapidly generate multilingual product copy and automate store operations, achieving "solo entrepreneurship" and self-driven ventures. Looking across human history, every major technological shift reshapes production methods and inevitably spawns new demands, industries, and occupations. The steam engine began the industrial age, the internet drove digital economic prosperity, and now AI is fueling the intelligent economy.

Opportunities are increasing, but so are capability requirements. Rather than feeling anxious, it's wise to think ahead: Which parts of my work could leverage AI to boost efficiency? What professional strengths are my core advantages? For job seekers, every new skill actively acquired today could become the key to unlocking future career doors and thriving in the workplace. Of course, vocational training and public employment services must also adapt to help more workers keep pace with technological progress. With constant self-renewal—"If you can improve yourself in a day, do so each day, and keep improving"—actively embracing the AI wave and enhancing one's skills, while combining AI's high efficiency with uniquely human abilities like thinking and empathy, we can surely stay grounded, find our direction, and seize new opportunities for a promising future.