Which jobs will AI replace in the UK?

Jobs most exposed to AI

High exposure means current AI tools can already do or draft much of the role's everyday work. It does not mean the job is going; it usually means fewer junior roles and a shift in what the remaining people do.

High exposure: much of the everyday work is already automatable

1. Accountant (High exposure) - Not replaced, but the routine end of accountancy is being automated quickly. The work that survives is judgement, sign-off and advice, and there will be fewer junior hours to learn it on. UK pay: £24,000 - £32,000 (trainee) starting, up to £90,000 - £200,000+ (partner / CFO) senior.
2. Solicitor (High exposure) - Legal drafting and research are among the tasks language models do best, so the job is changing fast. Solicitors are not being replaced, because advice, negotiation and regulated responsibility still need a person, but trainee-level document work is shrinking. UK pay: £28,000 - £50,000 (trainee / NQ) starting, up to £120,000 - £300,000+ (partner, top firms) senior.
3. Actuary (High exposure) - The modelling and calculation side of actuarial work is highly automatable, and finance and insurance is the most AI-exposed sector in the UK. Actuaries are not disappearing, because firms need someone qualified to sign off and stand behind assumptions, but the work tilts towards judgement and communication. UK pay: £32,000 - £45,000 starting, up to £110,000 - £200,000+ senior.
4. Investment Banker (High exposure) - Analyst-level work (models, pitch books, research) is heavily exposed, so junior banking will change most. Senior roles built on relationships, negotiation and judgement on deals are much harder to automate. UK pay: £55,000 - £75,000 + bonus starting, up to £300,000 - £1,000,000+ (MD level) senior.
5. Business Analyst (High exposure) - Business analysis is among the most AI-exposed work in the UK, because much of it is gathering information and writing it up. Analysts who facilitate decisions and lead change are still needed; documentation-only roles are shrinking. UK pay: £28,000 - £40,000 starting, up to £75,000 - £110,000+ senior.
6. Finance Manager (High exposure) - Finance is the most AI-exposed sector in the UK, and finance managers sit near the top of the occupation rankings. The reporting and processing side is automating fastest; the parts that need commercial judgement and accountability are not. UK pay: £45,000 - £60,000 starting, up to £95,000 - £140,000 senior.
7. Data Analyst (High exposure) - A lot of what junior analysts do (writing queries, building standard charts, summarising results) AI tools can now draft in seconds. Analysts who frame the right question and challenge the answer are still needed; analysts who only produce reports are the most exposed. UK pay: £26,000 - £35,000 starting, up to £70,000 - £100,000+ senior.
8. Software Engineer (High exposure) - Coding assistants now write a large share of routine code, so the job is changing more than almost any other. Engineers are not disappearing; demand is shifting towards people who design systems, review AI output and own what runs in production. Entry-level roles are where the squeeze shows first. UK pay: £28,000 - £40,000 starting, up to £80,000 - £130,000+ senior.
9. Data Scientist (High exposure) - Routine modelling and analysis are increasingly automated, but data scientists who can frame problems, validate models and own them in production are still in demand. The role is moving towards machine learning engineering and evaluation. UK pay: £35,000 - £50,000 starting, up to £100,000 - £160,000+ senior.
10. Graphic Designer (High exposure) - Image generation has hit routine design hard (social graphics, simple layouts, stock-style imagery). Designers who lead concepts, direct brands and understand users are still in demand; production-only design work is shrinking. UK pay: £24,000 - £28,000 starting, up to £50,000 - £70,000 senior.
11. Marketing Executive (High exposure) - Content production (copy, social posts, basic design, reporting) is heavily exposed, and entry-level marketing roles built around it are shrinking. Marketing that depends on relationships, live experiences and brand judgement is much more secure. UK pay: £24,000 - £32,000 starting, up to £60,000 - £90,000 senior.

Moderate exposure: changing, not disappearing

1. Psychologist (Moderate exposure) - Language models touch a lot of psychology's written work, and chatbots are being used for low-level support. Registered psychologists are not being replaced, because assessment, formulation and therapy depend on a trusted, accountable relationship. UK pay: £28,000 - £38,000 (assistant psychologist) starting, up to £70,000 - £110,000+ (consultant / private) senior.
2. Teacher (Moderate exposure) - No. AI can take on lesson planning, resource creation and some marking, but the core of teaching (managing a room, safeguarding, motivating a child who has given up) needs a person. Expect the paperwork to change long before the classroom does. UK pay: £30,000 - £33,000 (UK, NQT) starting, up to £50,000 - £75,000 (leadership) senior.
3. Architect (Moderate exposure) - Not replaced. AI tools are speeding up concept images, option studies and documentation, but architects carry design responsibility, planning negotiations and client relationships that tools cannot. The pressure falls on drafting-heavy junior roles. UK pay: £24,000 - £32,000 (Part 1) starting, up to £60,000 - £100,000+ senior.
4. Cybersecurity Analyst (Moderate exposure) - No. AI is automating alert triage and routine monitoring, but attackers are using AI too, which creates more work for people who investigate, respond and make judgement calls. The lowest-level monitoring jobs change the most. UK pay: £28,000 - £40,000 starting, up to £80,000 - £140,000+ senior.
5. Doctor (Moderate exposure) - No. AI is increasingly used for clinical notes, triage support and spotting patterns in scans, but diagnosis and treatment decisions remain with a registered clinician, and patients want a person accountable for their care. Expect AI to cut paperwork, not doctors. UK pay: £36,000 - £45,000 (FY1) starting, up to £100,000 - £150,000+ (partner) senior.
6. Project Manager (Moderate exposure) - Not replaced. AI can produce plans, status reports and meeting notes, but project management is mostly about people: getting decisions made, handling stakeholders and absorbing pressure when things slip. UK pay: £28,000 - £38,000 starting, up to £70,000 - £100,000+ senior.
7. HR Business Partner (Moderate exposure) - HR administration is being automated, but HR business partners spend most of their time on people problems (conflict, restructures, difficult conversations) that need a person, and employment law makes accountability unavoidable. UK pay: £35,000 - £45,000 starting, up to £80,000 - £120,000 senior.
8. Quantity Surveyor (Moderate exposure) - Measurement and estimating are increasingly automated from digital models, but quantity surveyors are paid for commercial judgement: negotiating variations, managing disputes and protecting margin. That side is not going anywhere. UK pay: £26,000 - £35,000 starting, up to £70,000 - £110,000 senior.
9. Pharmacist (Moderate exposure) - Dispensing is increasingly automated, but pharmacists are moving into clinical roles (prescribing, medicines reviews, minor illness consultations) that need a registered professional. The role is changing shape rather than going away. UK pay: £35,000 - £45,000 starting, up to £65,000 - £90,000 senior.

What “replaced” actually looks like

Exposure first shows up as fewer entry-level roles and more work per person, not mass redundancies. Junior accountants, paralegals, analysts and copywriters learn the job by doing the routine tasks AI now drafts, so the ladder into those professions gets narrower before the profession itself shrinks.

The parts that last are the ones where a person is accountable for the result, where the work is physical and unpredictable, or where someone has to be trusted, persuaded or cared for face to face.

If your job is on this list

You have more options than starting again. Most exposed roles sit next to less exposed ones that reuse the same knowledge: an accountant can move into insolvency or fraud investigation, a data analyst into data engineering or governance, a solicitor into advocacy or mediation. Each role above links to its career page, which suggests three such moves.

If you want to know whether your own job is exposed, the job check works through it role by role, or from what you actually do all day if your role is not listed.

Questions people ask

What jobs will AI replace first?

The most exposed work is office and professional work built on drafting, analysing and processing information: accountancy, finance management, business analysis, legal drafting, data analysis and routine content production. In practice the first effect is fewer entry-level roles rather than whole professions disappearing.

What jobs will AI replace by 2030?

Nobody can say with confidence, and you should be wary of anyone who gives a list with dates. What the evidence does show is which jobs are most exposed today. Those are the roles where change will come first, mostly as tasks being automated and junior roles shrinking.

Which jobs are least at risk from AI?

Skilled trades, hands-on health and care roles, emergency services and work that depends on being physically present in unpredictable places. The DfE study placed roofers and sports players among the least exposed occupations, and construction and accommodation and food among the least exposed sectors.

Is the DfE study a prediction of job losses?

No. It measures how exposed each occupation's tasks are to AI, and its authors warn that the rankings should be read with caution. Exposure can mean a job is augmented rather than replaced.

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More on AI and your job

• AI-proof jobs in the UK
• Will AI take my job?

Exposure ratings are our judgement of how much of each role's everyday work current AI tools can already do or draft; they measure exposure, not job losses. Occupation and sector findings are from the Department for Education, The impact of AI on UK jobs and training (November 2023).