Program Director Natasha Banks explores how AI is changing every career path students are dreaming of—and creating new ones they haven’t imagined yet.
Recently, Day of AI Australia joined Hydro Tasmania’s Girls in Power event in Launceston—an inspiring initiative designed to encourage young women in Years 9 and 10 to explore STEM careers, especially in renewable energy. Together with UNSW Professor Flora Salim, our Classroom Champions Jess and Cheryl gave students a hands-on introduction to artificial intelligence and how it’s transforming the way we work.
During the session, students engaged with our lesson AI in Different Industries and Careers, exploring how AI is already being used in the fields they’re passionate about—from medicine and engineering to retail, law, and even the beauty industry. Some students were fascinated to learn that Formula 1 teams use AI for real-time race strategy, while others were surprised to discover that AI is now being used to personalise manicure treatments using robotic precision.
This sparked a bigger conversation that’s taking place across classrooms, boardrooms, and policy circles around Australia: How exactly is AI changing the way we work—and what do we need to do to keep up?
Here are five key ways AI is reshaping careers, industries, and the future of work in Australia:
1. AI Will Augment Most Jobs
Dr Claire Naughtin, who leads the Digital Futures team at CSIRO’s Data61, summarised it well:
“For the majority of the workforce, we’re likely to all have our work and our jobs impacted and augmented by AI to some extent.”
AI is not just automating repetitive tasks, it is being embedded into the daily tools and platforms we already use. Teachers can use AI to tailor lesson plans. Healthcare professionals are using AI to triage patients. Managers are tapping into AI for everything from demand forecasting to scheduling.
Even traditionally high-skill, knowledge-based professions are being reshaped. AI is now used in law firms to draft and review contracts, in media to generate articles and assist with video editing, and in finance for portfolio analysis. As the Social Policy Group warns, this could lead to a “cascade of displacement,” especially if Australia doesn’t have systems in place to manage transitions and support re-skilling.
2. Australia Needs a Massive Upskill
The need for AI fluency isn’t limited to coders or data scientists. As AI integrates into every sector, the demand for digital and AI literacy is skyrocketing:
- Australia needs to grow its AI workforce by around 500% to meet projected demand by 2030.
- Up to 200,000 new AI-related jobs could be created by then—ranging from AI trainers and prompt engineers to policy leads and automation specialists.
- The federal government has set a target of 1.2 million tech workers by 2030, but some forecasts suggest this number may need to hit 1.4 million to stay globally competitive.
- AI could contribute $18.8 billion annually to the Australian economy by 2035, if the right skills and infrastructure are in place.
And while many large businesses are already adopting AI—using it to automate tasks, streamline services, and personalise customer experiences—the pace of change is challenging. A recent report from the National AI Centre and Fifth Quadrant found that many small and medium-sized businesses are struggling to keep up. Some don’t know where to start, others aren’t sure how AI applies to their work, and most are trying to adapt without the internal expertise to guide them.
This highlights just how important lifelong learning and upskilling will be—not just for students, but for the current workforce too. Government, industry, and the education sector all have a role to play in making AI skills training accessible, relevant, and future-facing.
3. AI is creating entirely new jobs
Not only is AI transforming existing roles—it’s creating brand-new ones. Jobs and Skills Australia recently identified more than 35 emerging roles across four key growth areas: Health & Care, Data & Technologies, Net Zero, and Science & Engineering.
Some of these new careers include:
- AI engineer
- Digital health advisor
- Carbon data analyst
- Cybersecurity design specialist
- Prompt engineer
These roles didn’t exist in job listings five years ago but are now gaining traction across sectors. What’s particularly exciting is how hybrid these roles are, often blending technical knowledge with specialist expertise in healthcare, energy, education, or public policy.
For students, this means the jobs they’re dreaming of may not exist yet—but the skills they develop now will prepare them to shape those future careers.
4. AI is transforming unexpected sectors
When we think about AI, we often think about robotics labs, software companies, or self-driving cars. But AI is also making waves in industries you might not expect:
- Tourism – Australian tourism operator Journey Beyond is using AI to improve booking systems and personalise guest experiences in experiential travel.
- Petcare – Petbarn recently launched a generative AI assistant ‘PetAI’ to provide real-time, highly personalised advice and product recommendations for pet owners
- Policing – Australian Federal Police are exploring how AI can safeguard officers’ mental health, using generative AI to create text summaries of sensitive material and modify graphic images to reduce their psychological impact.
For young people exploring future pathways, this shows that AI is no longer confined to traditional “tech” careers—it’s now an opportunity space across almost every field.
5. AI skills are becoming a core competency
Whether you’re a nurse, lawyer, shop owner or environmental scientist, AI skills are quickly becoming essential.
AI is already helping:
- Lawyers with legal research and case preparation
- Farmers monitor crops and detect pests using drone vision
- Retailers forecast demand and optimise inventory
- Public servants draft reports or analyse citizen feedback
Jobs that once required only domain knowledge now demand a blend of technical awareness and digital literacy. In many cases, this doesn’t mean writing code—it means knowing how to use AI tools safely, ethically, and effectively.
As the House of Representatives’ 2025 Future of Work report noted, Australia’s workplaces are not yet fully equipped to realise the productivity, creativity, and equity benefits that AI can offer. That’s why workforce capability must be a top national priority, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises.
Help your students see the future and be ready for it
Back in Launceston, the students in our Day of AI session didn’t just learn what AI is. They saw how it connects with the world they’re already imagining for themselves—whether that’s being a nurse, a designer, a lawyer, or a small business owner.
And that’s the real opportunity for schools: to help every student understand that AI isn’t just a tool of the future—it’s already shaping the world they’ll work in.
Whether your students go on to become builders, writers, researchers or chefs, they’ll need more than just curiosity. They’ll need the ability to:
- understand and use AI responsibly
- spot bias and misinformation
- work alongside intelligent systems
- adapt when the tools and platforms change (again)
- make ethical, values-based decisions when technology creates new grey areas
But AI literacy alone isn’t enough. The world of work they’re stepping into also demands the timeless strengths that education has always aimed to build: critical thinking, resilience, creativity, adaptability, and the confidence to solve problems we haven’t even named yet.
That’s why programs like Day of AI Australia exist—not to replace the curriculum, but to enrich it. To give educators tools to connect what students are learning now to the skills they’ll need tomorrow.
Want to help your students explore how AI is already shaping their career pathways?
Educators can deliver our free lesson for Years 7–10: AI in Different Industries and Careers
It’s hands-on, discussion-rich, and designed for any teacher to deliver—no technical background required.
Because the future of work isn’t just coming—it’s already here. And with the right tools and teaching, your students won’t just be ready for it. They’ll be ready to shape it
Access the 2025 Program
With flexible, hands-on lessons designed by experts, it’s never been easier to inspire the next generation of tech thinkers. Give your students an introduction to AI they’ll never forget.
Additional Resources
Year 13 helps young people discover careers and build life skills with their free online courses.
Sources
Galovic, N. (2025), Everyday AI: Sparking innovation in the workplace, CSIRO. Published 20 February, https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2025/february/everyday-ai-workplace-productivity
Social Policy Group & C. Wilshire (2024), Artificial Intelligence and the Great Retrenchment, https://socialpolicy.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SPG_AI_and_the_Great_Retrenchment.pdf
Jobs and Skills Australia (2024), Emerging Roles Report, https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-11/emerging_roles_report.pdf
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training (2025), The Future of Work Inquiry into the Digital Transformation of Workplaces, https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportrep/RB000516/toc_pdf/TheFutureofWork.pdf
National AI Centre (2024), 17 December, Exploring AI adoption in Australian businesses,
https://www.industry.gov.au/news/exploring-ai-adoption-australian-businesses
Microsoft News Centre (2024) AI on track: How Journey Beyond is enhancing productivity and driving innovation in experiential tourism, 13 December,
Microsoft News Centre (2024), Petbarn creates first-of-its-kind generative AI solution to make pet care easier for Australian owners, 4 December, https://news.microsoft.com/en-au/features/petbarn-creates-first-of-its-kind-generative-ai-solution-to-make-pet-care-easier-for-australian-owners/
Worrall, S. (2025), Collaborating for impact: How AI is transforming Australia and New Zealand industries, 6 January,
