🧠 “Pointless Jobs, Powerful AI: What Happens Next?”

There’s a quiet existential crisis happening in offices across the world — one Google Doc at a time.

Not the kind of crisis that involves fire drills or company-wide memos, but the deep, creeping kind. The sort that sneaks in between Zoom calls and Slack notifications and whispers:

“Wait… does any of this actually matter?”

And increasingly, people are answering: “Nope.”

📉 The “My Job Is Pointless” Phenomenon

A few years ago, economists Robert Dur and Max van Lent dropped a truth bomb into the world of work: almost 40% of people in sales, marketing, PR, banking, and IT believed their jobs made no meaningful contribution to society. None. Zero. Nada.

Forget imposter syndrome. This is existential job dread.

In contrast, roles like nurses, teachers, and psychologists — the ones you’d expect — scored extremely high in perceived societal value. Unsurprisingly, they were also the least likely to be automated. (We’ll come back to that.)

More recently, a 2023 U.S. study by Simon Walo reaffirmed the problem: 19% of American workers said their job was “socially useless.” That figure jumps in roles like:

Transportation & material moving – high

Sales & marketing – very high

Business & finance – very high

Admin support – also very high

Whereas - Education – is under 5% so very low

If you’re thinking, “Wow, that’s bleak,” you’re not wrong. But here’s where it gets really interesting...

🤖 The AI Crosshair Effect

The same jobs people describe as “pointless”? They’re the exact jobs most vulnerable to AI disruption.

This isn’t a coincidence. It’s the consequence of something deeper: the automation of meaningless work.

Jobs that are rules-based, repetitive, or primarily digital? AI loves those. It eats them for breakfast. It doesn’t complain. It doesn’t need coffee. And it definitely doesn’t wonder if what it’s doing matters.

Take a look:

Job Category % Say It’s Pointless AI Disruption Risk

Sales & Marketing ~40% 🔥 Very High

Banking & Finance ~35% 🔥 Very High

Office Assistants ~30%+ 🔥 Very High

HR & Admin ~25%+ ⚠️ Medium–High

IT Support / Junior Devs ~20% ⚠️ Medium–High

Now compare that with:

Job Category % Say It’s Pointless AI Disruption Risk

Psychologists <10% 🟡 Low–Medium

Nurses & Midwives <5% 🟢 Low

Primary School Teachers <5% 🟢 Low

😬 So What Does That Mean for You?

If you’ve ever sat at your desk wondering whether your job could be done by a robot… you might be right. In fact, AI might not just take your job — it might actually make it better by removing the bits you hate: the reports, the emails, the forms, the meetings that could have been Slack messages.

But if your entire job feels pointless — and AI can do most of it already — then the hard truth is this: it might be time to rethink your role entirely.

This isn’t just about redundancy. It’s about relevance.

💡 From Bullsh*t Jobs to Brilliant Purpose

Here’s the hopeful bit: this AI revolution — the Fifth Industrial Revolution — gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redesign work. To do less of the nonsense and more of the stuff that matters.

We’re not here to be inbox managers and calendar jockeys. We’re here to create, to care, to connect, to lead. Those are things AI can't replace.

In fact, as a keynote speaker on the future of work (and AI, and tech, and emotional intelligence), I’ve been telling organisations this for years:

“AI won’t take your job. But someone using AI better than you will.”

And maybe — just maybe — AI is doing us a favour by taking the pointless jobs off our hands. So we can get back to meaningful work. Or, let’s be honest, meaningful living.

😂 In Summary

If your job feels pointless — there's data to back you up.

If your job is automatable — there's AI to back you out.

But if your work involves people, purpose, and creativity — you're probably safer than you think.

And if you’re still unsure where you stand? I have a scorecard for that. Or a keynote. Or a book. Or a LinkedIn post coming soon to remind you that the future of work isn’t coming — it’s already here.

And it’s got a sense of irony.

You can listen to the FULL interview on the BBC here...

📚 References

• Dur, R., & Van Lent, M. (2019). Does Your Job Matter? The Rise of Socially Useless Work.
• The trillon dollar question for our AGE... The FULL interview here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz2EJcTzYM8
• Walo, S. (2023). Bullshit Jobs: Who Believes They’re Doing One? University of Zurich.
  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372568737
• YouGov UK. (n.d.). Most Meaningless Jobs Poll.
  https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2015/08/11/which-jobs-are-meaningless
• PsyPost. (2023). New research validates ‘bullshit jobs’ theory.
  https://www.psypost.org/new-research-validates-bullshit-jobs-theory
• Vox. (2025). Does Your Job Feel Pointless? This Might Be the Answer.
  https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/412698