AI threatens job loss in farming and forestry

The adoption of artificial intelligence by companies could result in job losses in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.

A new study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Department of Finance has found that physically demanding jobs are less likely to be replaced by AI.

However, the report indicates that, in the medium term, market-oriented skilled agricultural workers could experience losses of 3.2%, while agricultural, forestry, and fishery labourers could see losses of 5.7%. This is likely to be driven by job displacement among workers whose roles can be partially performed by AI.

Across the wider economy, the report estimates that around 7% of current jobs could be displaced in the short to medium term.