AI Job Loss Fears Overblown but Automation Threatens Specific Roles

AI-related job loss risks are being exaggerated, according to David Sachs, the White House Cryptocurrency and Artificial Intelligence Adviser, who emphasized that the technology still requires substantial human oversight to deliver value [1]. In his comments on the social network X, Sachs explained that AI functions more as a “middle-man” within workflows, with critical decisions and management responsibilities remaining in human hands. He added that even the most advanced AI models require human review and guidance, countering doomsday predictions of widespread unemployment [1].

Microsoft’s recent research has identified certain professions as being particularly vulnerable to automation, including roles such as journalists, analysts, and technical writers—many of which are relevant to the cryptocurrency industry [1]. The study analyzed 200,000 Bing Copilot chat logs to assess AI applicability across various tasks. It found that reporting and copywriting are the most at-risk, with AI applicability scores between 0.38 and 0.39. Market analysts and data scientists were slightly less exposed, with scores ranging from 0.35 to 0.36 [1]. These scores represent the likelihood that AI can effectively perform a given task compared to a human worker.

The cryptocurrency industry is also seeing signs of automation and workforce adjustment. In July 2025, experts noted a significant drop in job openings within the sector [1]. This decline came alongside a U.S. Department of Labor report that showed only 73,000 new jobs were created nationwide in the month, falling short of the 100,000 forecast by Dow Jones [1]. The report highlights the broader economic context in which AI-driven automation is being considered.

Sachs also referenced comments by Balaji Srinivasan, the former CTO of Coinbase, who argued that AI is not displacing human workers but rather replacing older AI models [1]. Srinivasan noted that current AI systems are not autonomous agents and, while capable of performing more complex tasks, they do not operate independently. He pointed out that the competition is primarily between AI models themselves—such as Midjourney displacing Stable Diffusion in image generation, and GPT-4 replacing GPT-3 in large language models—supporting the view that AI is still a tool guided by human expertise [1].

The findings underscore the nuanced impact of AI on the workforce. While certain roles are more susceptible to automation, the broader narrative of mass unemployment due to AI appears to be overstated. Human oversight and decision-making remain essential in leveraging AI effectively for business value.

Source: [1] AI Layoff Risks Overstated, but Automation Threatens Certain Jobs (https://coinmarketcap.com/community/articles/6890ac6dc655ae7a1f830f23/)