AI-powered automation will change the work world as we know it, but people will remain indispensable, says a new report from McKinsey Global Institute.

Jobs involving digital and information-processing skills could be the most impacted by automation in the future, according to Agents, Robots and Us: Skill Partnerships in the Age of AI. Carer roles will be the least changed.

The future workplace will involve much more collaboration between artificial intelligence, robots and humans, McKinsey stated.

“More than 70 per cent of the skills sought by employers today are used in both automatable and non-automatable work,” researchers said. “This overlap means most skills remain relevant, but how and where they are used will evolve.”

The report predicts that nearly every occupation will experience skill shifts by 2030.

“Highly specialised, automatable skills such as accounting and coding could face the greatest disruption, while interpersonal skills like negotiation and coaching may change the least,” McKinsey said. “Most others, including widely applicable skills such as problem-solving and communication, may evolve as part of a growing partnership with agents and robots.”

Demand for AI fluency — the ability to use and manage AI tools — has grown sevenfold in two years, faster than for any other skill.

“The surge is visible across industries and likely marks the beginning of much bigger changes ahead,” the report said.

The need for technical AI skills employed to develop and govern AI systems is also growing, but at a slower pace.

Researchers found that job post descriptions would more likely call for at least one AI-related skill, and less likely to call for routine writing and research skills. AI already performs these well, although these skills remain essential for much of the workforce.

McKinsey believed that workflows would be better redesigned around the idea of agents, robots and people working together, rather than around individual tasks.

At current levels of capability, agents could perform tasks that occupy 44 per cent of American work hours today, and robots 13 per cent.

“Extending automation further would require technologies that can match a range of human capabilities currently unmatched,” McKinsey said. “Agents would need to interpret intention and emotion. Robots would need to master fine motor control, such as grasping delicate objects or manipulating instruments in surgery.”