Agentic AI and the Great Talent Displacement: How the Workforce Must Evolve (3 of 3)
If you think AI will kill jobs, wait till you hear what will Agentic AI do...
Introduction to the Agentic AI Series
In this three-part series, we’ll explore agentic AI as the next step in our technological evolution. Drawing on lessons from past revolutions, we’ll examine how to navigate the challenges and opportunities it presents:
Agentic AI: A New Era of Technology and the Lessons from the Past: This article sets the stage by exploring how agentic AI builds on patterns from the web and app revolutions.
Centralized AI Infrastructure and the Rise of Tech Oligarchy: A Double-Edged Sword: We dive into the risks of power concentration in the hands of a few tech giants and its implications for innovation and competition.
Talent Displacement and Workforce Evolution: Finally, we tackle the impact of agentic AI on jobs, exploring how the industry can prepare for significant talent shifts.
This series is not just about understanding what agentic AI can do but about shaping how it integrates into our lives, our work, and our future. Let’s embark on this journey together.
Article 3 - Agentic AI and the Great Talent Displacement: How the Workforce Must Evolve
Introduction: The Looming Shift
In the previous revolutions, new technology often replaced tasks, requiring humans to adjust their skill sets. However, agentic AI is different—it is replacing entire products, ecosystems, and the people behind them.
The App Extinction Event
Just as the app revolution made standalone websites obsolete, agentic AI will make apps obsolete.
Instead of opening a to-do list app, a personal AI assistant will track and organize tasks dynamically.
Instead of using five different finance apps, AI will autonomously manage spending, taxes, and investments.
This means fewer app developers, fewer product designers, and fewer engineers needed in these spaces.
The Decline of UI/UX Design
The entire concept of user interfaces is changing—agentic AI will not rely on menus, buttons, or static screens.
Instead of designing traditional app experiences, UX professionals will need to adapt to designing AI-human interactions, conversational AI flows, and adaptive interfaces.
Many traditional UI-focused roles will shrink or disappear as AI interactions become more fluid and natural.
Customer Support and Service Agents Will Shrink
AI-powered chatbots have already reduced demand for human support.
Agentic AI will go beyond chat, autonomously solving user problems before they even arise.
Expect mass layoffs in customer service-heavy industries, with only a small workforce remaining for high-touch human interactions.
The End of Code as We Know It?
AI is already writing software—from simple scripts to complex applications.
In the near future, agentic AI will allow users to generate entire software products just by describing them in natural language.
While high-level engineers will still be needed to train and maintain AI systems, junior and mid-level coding jobs will rapidly decline.
The Great Resignation, the Great Reshuffle, and What We Can Learn
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a massive shift in the workforce, with what was called the Great Resignation and the Great Reshuffle. Millions of workers re-evaluated their jobs, careers, and personal priorities in the wake of lockdowns and the global crisis.
This unprecedented movement of talent led to widespread job turnover and a reassessment of work-life balance, career goals, and industry practices. It marked a fundamental shift in the workforce, with many employees opting out of traditional career paths or pursuing different work environments altogether.
If history serves as any guide, the displacement of talent through agentic AI, whether slow or fast, will be even greater than what we witnessed with COVID disruptions. The "Great Reshuffle" caused by the pandemic pales in comparison to the scale of transformation coming with AI advancements. The ability of agentic AI to replace entire job functions—automating tasks that previously required human oversight—will likely accelerate the pace of displacement, affecting industries at a much larger scale.
While the COVID-era talent shifts were driven by human choices and reactions to external forces, agentic AI will create a world where displacement is dictated by the very technology we create—removing the agency of workers, forcing industries and governments to act proactively to prevent widespread societal and economic damage.
Lessons Learned from Past Disruptions and How We Can Prepare
The impact of agentic AI echoes previous industrial transformations, but with some key differences:
Industrial Revolution (1800s-1900s): Machines replaced manual labor, displacing factory workers. Eventually, industrial jobs shifted to automation oversight and higher-skilled roles.
Internet Revolution (1990s-2000s): Websites killed traditional retail, journalism, and advertising models. But new digital jobs emerged—software engineering, content creation, and e-commerce.
App Revolution (2000s-2020s): Apps disrupted businesses, but also created new industries—gig work, mobile development, and influencer marketing.
The difference now? Agentic AI is replacing both manual work AND digital work. In previous shifts, human workers still created and managed the new systems. Now, AI is doing both.
How Can the Workforce Adapt?
While many jobs will disappear, new ones will emerge—but only for those who adapt. Here’s how industries and workers can prepare:
AI-Human Collaboration Will Be Key
Instead of competing with AI, the workforce must learn to work alongside it—managing AI workflows, fine-tuning AI outputs, and developing AI governance.
The best jobs will be in "AI oversight"—ensuring AI is ethical, fair, and effective.
The Shift from "Building" to "Training" AI
Just as the industrial era created machine operators, the AI era will create AI trainers, validators, and explainability engineers.
The best engineers will be those who understand how to optimize and direct AI models—not just those who write code.
Soft Skills Will Become More Valuable
Creativity, problem-solving, and strategic thinking will outlast technical skills that AI can automate.
Jobs in ethics, decision-making, and human-AI interaction will become increasingly important.
Lifelong Learning Will Be Essential
The concept of a static career is dead—workers will need continuous learning and adaptability.
Governments and companies must invest in large-scale retraining programs to prevent mass unemployment.
A Future Defined by AI and Adaptability
The rise of agentic AI is not just another automation wave—it is a fundamental shift in how work, technology, and society function. While many traditional roles will disappear, entirely new industries will emerge for those who embrace change.
The future will belong to those who can pivot quickly, work with AI rather than against it, and continuously reinvent their skills. Will we treat agentic AI as a tool for empowerment, or will we allow it to create widespread economic disruption and inequality? The decisions we make today will define the workforce of tomorrow.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Agentic AI
This concludes our three-part series on Agentic AI and its Impact on Technology and Society.
Agentic AI: A New Era of Technology and the Lessons from the Past – How we got here, and what past technological revolutions can teach us.
Centralized AI Infrastructure and the Rise of Tech Oligarchy – The growing power of AI giants and the risks of centralized AI control.
Agentic AI and the Great Talent Displacement – The future of work, automation, and how to prepare for AI-driven changes.
Agentic AI is here. The only question is: Are we ready for it?