Automation and Artificial Intelligence Careers for Innovators and Creatives

The artificial intelligence and automation fields are growing at remarkable rates. According to a report from Grand View Research, the global AI industry is currently valued at almost $25 billion, and stands to grow by 46% between 2019 and 2025. Grand View Research also predicts that industrial automation will grow by 8.6% during the same period. As these fields expand, job opportunities are becoming more and more abundant, offering plenty of entry points for those who are not only technically inclined but also inventive and creative.

Indeed, experts predict that AI and automation will impact nearly every major industry, which means career prospects are innumerable. This article will provide some examples of automation and artificial intelligence careers, providing unique chances to combine technical skills with creative thinking.

Industrial Engineer

An industrial engineer’s basic role is to innovate ways for companies to develop products or services as effectively and efficiently as possible. This might involve auditing and analyzing current production methods for inefficiencies and seeking better ways to integrate systems, employees, equipment and resources. In pursuit of these goals, industrial engineers look for creative ways to automate processes or to introduce AI that can help workers do their jobs with greater speed, precision and quality control.

Industrial engineers work in a variety of different settings, including factories, food processing plants and pharmaceutical manufacturing centers.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a bachelor’s degree is required for work as an industrial engineer. The median annual salary was $88,020 as of May 2019, and the job market is projected to grow by 8% between 2018 and 2028.

More Information About Industrial Engineer Jobs

To learn more about automation jobs in industrial engineering, consider these resources:

• Forbes, “How AI Builds a Better Manufacturing Process.” Discover some ways in which AI is being implemented in the manufacturing space.

Health Systems Engineer

There are a number of automation jobs and artificial intelligence careers in the healthcare industry; health systems engineering is a prime example. The overall goal of this position is to improve how medical treatment is delivered, specifically by eliminating waste, increasing accuracy and improving access to needed care. Health systems engineers analyze data about patient volume, treatments and outcomes to develop better ways for the organization to operate. A health systems engineer works to integrate medical personnel, technicians, databases and equipment more efficiently.

Automation and AI play an important role here, helping engineers evaluate data and extrapolate conclusions more efficiently and with smaller risk of error.

Health systems engineers fall under the category of industrial engineers, and according to 2019 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the average annual salary for this job profile was $88,020.

More Information About Health System Engineer Jobs

Additional information about the role of automation in health systems can be found in these resources:

• HIIMS, “ AI in Healthcare: How It’s Changing the Industry
  ” This article considers some of the challenges and opportunities present in the integration of AI and health data.
• BusinessInsider, “Microsoft Azure and Johns Hopkins Medicine have partnered to accelerate precision medicine.” Consider a specific case of AI being used to improve the delivery of medical care.

Health Information Specialist

Health information specialist is another example of automation careers and artificial intelligence careers in healthcare.

The role involves gathering, coding and analyzing patient data, which can include anything from length of stay to treatment offered to medical outcome. Sometimes this data is consolidated for insurance and billing purposes, ensuring that medical organizations are properly reimbursed. In other cases, health information specialists synthesize data to help providers make more informed decisions about care or resource allocation. For example, a health information specialist can help hospital administrators see which departments generate the most revenues and which may be underserved.

Increasingly, the process of gathering and evaluating data is being assisted by AI; as such, this role is becoming less about raw data entry and more about providing strategic analysis.

The BLS reports that the median annual wage in this field was $40,350 as of May 2018, and the job outlook is projected to grow  at a pace of 11% between 2018 and 2028, which exceeds the average of all occupations.

More Information About Health Information Specialist Jobs

Additional insights about this career can be found in these resources:

• Nature, “Can AI Fix Medical Records?” An analysis of the potential for automation to unlock the true potential of digital medical records, revolutionizing patient care.
• Built In, “Surgical Robots, New Medicines, and Better Care: 32 Examples of AI in Healthcare.” Explore some specific ways in which automation and AI are transforming hospitals, including in billing, data management and patient experience.

Database Engineer

Database engineers develop and maintain information databases for their companies or organizations. A database engineer may work in any enterprise that needs to maintain large quantities of data, and often, that data is confidential. Examples include the maintenance of financial records or customer shipping logs. AI can be used to synthesize data entries, identify errors in the database, and run reports or analytics. This is another example of how widespread automation jobs can be; opportunities to use data to operate more efficiently come up in many different industries.

BLS data reports that the mean annual wage for database administrators and architects (closely related to database engineering) was $96,110 as of May 2019.

More Information About Database Engineer Jobs

Consider these additional resources regarding database engineering:

• IBM, “The AI Database Is Upon Us.” This article raises the critical point that “as organizations get better at managing and using a wider variety of data, the more they will adopt and make use of AI.”
• com, “6 Automation Trends for Every Business in 2019.” Take a look at how automation can help businesses run more efficiently.

Data Analyst

Data analysts manage and implement the data that a business collects, often by answering queries from specific employees, executives or departments with clear analytics and reporting. A data analyst may use AI to help review or revise an existing database to meet the end user’s needs. Because AI can synthesize large volumes of data in a short time span, it can extrapolate conclusions that human analysts wouldn’t necessarily find on their own, at least not without a massive time commitment.

PayScale reports that the median annual salary for this position was around $60,400 as of June 2020.

More Information About Data Analyst Jobs

A few additional resources on this topic include the following:

• Entrepreneur, “Best Ways to Use Data in Making Decisions.” Learn some of the considerations business owners make when implementing data.
• Business Application Research Center, “14 Survey-Based Recommendations on How to Improve Data-Driven Decision-Making.” Discover how data analysis can support business decision-making.

Does Automation Steal Jobs?

One of the longstanding concerns about the advent of AI and the increased prominence of automation is that these new technologies will replace the need for humans in the workplace. Indeed, there are many who wonder if people will still have the opportunity to work once robots and computer systems become capable of advanced responsibilities.

While automation is undeniably changing the workforce, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As the jobs here show, there remain many ways in which automation and AI actually provide opportunities for those who know how to implement them effectively. In many fields, AI removes the menial or repetitive aspects of a job and leaves more room for humans to concentrate on strategic evaluation and decision-making.

According to The Washington Post, the World Economic Forum has predicted that by 2022, machines will actually create 58 million more jobs than they eliminate. While this portends tumult and change in some industries, it also suggests that there’s ample opportunity for those who develop foundational knowledge of AI and automation technology.

SingularityHub similarly notes the promise of an increasingly automated world: “In fact, the BLS forecasts faster-than-average job growth in many occupations that AI is expected to impact: accountants, forensic scientists, geological technicians, technical writers, MRI operators, dietitians, financial specialists, web developers, loan officers, medical secretaries, and customer service representatives, to name a very few. These fields will not experience job growth in spite of AI, but through it.”

Learn More About Artificial Intelligence and Automation Careers

Automation is an unstoppable trend in countless professional fields. That has long been a source of concern, but as automation and AI become more prominent, they can provide new opportunities for creative and industrious professionals. Consider some of the ways in which familiarity with these technologies can lead to a rewarding career in any number of industries.