Top 15 AI Proof Jobs to Pursue in 2025: Secure Your Career

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With automation on the rise, it has never been more important to find AI-proof jobs that won’t be replaced by machines.

Some careers are far less likely to be taken over by robots. These high-paying roles rely on skills that artificial intelligence (AI) simply can’t replicate anytime soon — like creativity, human interaction, and critical decision-making.

Curious if your career made the list? Read on to discover the top 15 AI-proof jobs with high pay and how they’re staying ahead in an automated world.

Key Takeaways

  • AI-proof jobs rely on human abilities like creativity, empathy, and decision-making — skills that AI finds difficult to imitate.
  • Careers in healthcare, leadership, and engineering rank high among AI-proof jobs because they demand human judgment, hands-on skills, and emotional understanding.
  • The jobs listed below pay more than $75,000 a year and have 0% “official automation risk” — crowd-sourced opinions offer different ideas on how AI-proof each job is.
  • Leadership roles, like CEOs and security managers, are safe from automation because they require complex decision-making and ethical considerations.

Top 15 AI Proof Jobs to Pursue in 2025

According to Will Robots Take My Job, the jobs we list below are considered “AI-proof” because they rely on skills that are difficult for AI to replicate, like creativity, human interaction, manual dexterity, or decision-making.

These jobs all pay over $75,000 a year and have been ranked by salary. While the official automation risk is 0% (calculated using a methodology we go into below), you’ll also see how people have voted on the perceived risk for each role.

1. Urologists

  • Salary: $236,000
  • Voted risk level: 23%

Why is it AI-proof? If you’re wondering what jobs are safe from AI, medicine remains one of the top contenders. For example, urologists perform surgeries and treatments that require precise manual skills and critical decisions. AI struggles with these hands-on tasks that involve real-life unpredictability.

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2. Hospitalists

  • Salary: $236,000
  • Voted risk level: 28%

Why is it AI-proof? Hospitalists handle complex medical situations, working closely with patients and other healthcare professionals. This type of decision-making and coordination is something AI cannot easily manage.

3. Psychiatrists

  • Salary: $226,880
  • Voted risk level: 21%

Why is it AI-proof? Psychiatrists need emotional intelligence and empathy to help people with mental health issues. AI can’t offer the human connection that’s necessary in this field, meaning that psychiatry falls under the AI-safe jobs umbrella.

4. Neurologists

  • Salary: $224,260
  • Voted risk level: 21%

Why is it AI-proof? Neurologists diagnose and treat brain and nervous system disorders, which require both medical expertise and judgment — skills AI hasn’t mastered yet.

5. General Internal Medicine Physicians

  • Salary: $223,310
  • Voted risk level: 29%

Why is it AI-proof? General physicians treat a wide range of illnesses and manage patient care, which involves complex decision-making and personalized treatments that AI cannot fully provide.

6. Chief Executives (CEOs)

  • Salary: $206,680
  • Voted risk level: 19%

Why is it AI-proof? CEOs are responsible for making strategic decisions and leading people, balancing human factors with business needs. Leadership roles like this are safe from AI because AI lacks the leadership, human insight, and ethical judgment needed in them.

7. Physician Assistants

  • Salary: $130,020
  • Voted risk level: 31%

Why is it AI-proof? Physician assistants diagnose and treat illnesses, working directly with patients. Their job requires human touch, quick thinking, and medical expertise, making it difficult for AI to replace.

8. Nurse Practitioners

  • Salary: $126,260
  • Voted risk level: 29%

Why is it AI-proof? Nurse practitioners provide personalized healthcare, often making decisions on the spot – making such healthcare roles AI-safe jobs. This combination of empathy, medical knowledge, and human interaction is beyond AI’s capabilities.

9. Neuropsychologists

  • Salary: $117,750
  • Voted risk level: 23%

Why is it AI-proof? Neuropsychologists combine neuroscience with psychology to treat patients. This mix of emotional understanding and science requires human insight that AI lacks.

10. Education Administrators (Kindergarten through Secondary)

  • Salary: $103,460
  • Voted risk level: 27%

Why is it AI-proof? School administrators lead and manage educational institutions, which involves understanding human behavior and making complex decisions that can’t be automated.

11. Security Managers

  • Salary: $102,340
  • Voted risk level: 25%

Why is it AI-proof? Security managers oversee safety and security strategies, requiring both leadership and the ability to respond to unexpected situations. AI can’t yet handle the unpredictability involved in these decisions.

12. First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

  • Salary: $101,750
  • Voted risk level: 19%

Why is it AI-proof? These supervisors lead law enforcement teams and make important decisions in fast-moving situations. The need for judgment, leadership, and handling complex human interactions makes it hard for AI to replace them.

13. Occupational Therapists

  • Salary: $96,370
  • Voted risk level: 19%

Why is it AI-proof? Occupational therapists are another example of jobs that are safe from AI, since they help people recover from injuries or disabilities by using hands-on care and empathy. This direct human involvement makes the role difficult for AI to automate.

14. Civil Engineers

  • Salary: $95,890
  • Voted risk level: 30%

Why is it AI-proof? Civil engineers design and oversee construction projects. They solve real-world problems with creative and technical solutions, which AI isn’t advanced enough to replicate.

15. Clinical Nurse Specialists

  • Salary: $86,070
  • Voted risk level: 23%

Why is it AI-proof? These nurses provide expert medical care, often in high-pressure situations. They need to think quickly and work closely with other healthcare professionals, skills that AI lacks.

How Automation Risk Determines Which Jobs Are Safe from AI

Various researchers from Will Robots Take My Job examined job features in detail to determine which jobs would be safe from AI.

Here’s how they evaluated the risk of automation, focusing on why some jobs are safer:

  • Data from O*NET and BLS:  The O*NET database provides detailed information about job requirements, like creativity, social interaction, and manual skills. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) adds useful information, like salary ranges and job growth projections.
  • The 2013 Frey and Osborne Study: In 2013, researchers Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne studied over 700 jobs to predict how likely they were to be automated. They found that jobs needing creativity, human interaction, and manual dexterity were much harder for machines to replace. This inspired the authors behind the Will Robots Take My Job website to conduct their own research using the researchers’ process.
  • Machine learning models: The team used a machine learning model, the Gaussian Process Classifier, to predict how easily different jobs can be automated. Jobs with lower risk tend to demand high levels of creativity, physical skill, or emotional intelligence.
  • User feedback: Besides data, user feedback also helps refine automation risk scores. People can vote on how likely they think their job is to be automated, and this feedback is used to adjust the estimates.

The Human Skills That AI Struggles With

The jobs that are safe from AI are those that have to do with unique human qualities. AI struggles with jobs related to:

  • Creativity & originality: Jobs that require creative thinking and coming up with new ideas are hard for AI to replace. Professions like architects and art teachers, for example, rely on imagination and originality — which machines find difficult to replicate.
  • Complex human interaction: Roles that involve deep emotional understanding, such as psychiatrists or occupational therapists, depend on empathy and human connection. These qualities are essential in helping people, making it tough for AI to take over.
  • Manual dexterity & physical skill: Jobs that need precision and physical actions, like surgeons or firefighters, are challenging for robots to replace. While AI can manage routine tasks, real-life situations often require quick thinking and fine motor skills, which machines can’t match.
  • Ethical decision-making & leadership: High-level leadership roles, such as CEOs or emergency management directors, involve making judgments, dealing with ethics, and making complex decisions. These jobs require a mix of human factors and problem-solving, which AI isn’t capable of doing.

The Bottom Line

As AI continues to reshape the workforce, finding AI-proof jobs becomes more crucial than ever. However, whether it’s emotional intelligence, creative problem-solving, or hands-on expertise, there are roles that will always need a human touch.

Want to stay ahead of automation? The careers listed above not only pay well but also rely on skills that machines simply can’t replicate – so explore these high-paying AI-proof jobs and secure your future in an increasingly tech-driven world.

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Maria Webb
Technology Journalist
Maria Webb
Technology Journalist

Maria is Techopedia's technology journalist with over five years of experience with a deep interest in AI and machine learning. She excels in data-driven journalism, making complex topics both accessible and engaging for her audience. Her work is also prominently featured on Eurostat. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honors in English and a Master of Science in Strategic Management and Digital Marketing from the University of Malta. Maria's background includes journalism for Newsbook.com.mt, covering a range of topics from local events to international tech trends.