Financial Times column questions claims that AI will automate office jobs soon

In short: A Financial Times column argues that many claims about AI quickly replacing white-collar jobs underestimate what those jobs really involve.

What's going on

Predictions about AI taking over office work are spreading fast. They often focus on what a job looks like on paper, like writing emails, summarising documents, or filling in spreadsheets.

The Financial Times column says this can miss the bigger picture. Many roles are not just a list of tasks. They also involve judging what matters, handling exceptions, and coordinating with other people, which is like being the “glue” in a team.

The piece points out that even when AI can produce a decent first draft, it may not understand the context. For example, an answer that sounds fine can still be wrong for a specific client, a legal requirement, or a company’s internal rules. That human knowledge is often learned over time and is hard to write down as step-by-step instructions.

What to watch

Instead of asking whether AI can do an entire job, watch where it is used to assist with parts of the work. The bigger change may be job redesign, where people spend less time on routine writing and more time checking, deciding, and communicating. For workers and employers, the practical question is which parts of a role can be safely handed off to tools, and which parts still need a person in the loop (like a second set of eyes before you hit send).

Source: Financial Times