A Study Reveals the Surprising Jobs People Want in the AI Age |
Many Americans think becoming a notary, or a firefighter are among the most solid career options in an increasingly AI-powered world.
BY KIT EATON @KITEATON
Illustration: Inc; Photo: Getty Images
We know that widespread AI use is already beginning to impact the job market, and that many experts expect dramatic upheavals to follow soon. But new research into the kinds of job opportunities that Americans are looking for in their online searches suggests people are increasingly savvy about the threat of AI tech, and are interested in careers with a more personal, human touch. The kinds of job that, at least for now, AI just can’t compete with.
The research, carried out by Estonia-based business planning software provider MRPeasy, examined U.S.-based Google searches for queries like “how to become …” or “how to be … “ combined with over 100 common job titles, covering a 12-month span through June 2025.
The top result may really surprise you: an average of 38,102 people a month looked for data on how to become a notary. In our AI-centric era, the job title most looked for was the extremely human role of being a public official who can verify signatures on critical documents, take affidavits, and serve as impartial witnesses during important transactions like purchasing real estate. Given the legal and interpersonal details that are embodied in the notary role, it would seem a pretty safe job that AI can’t yet carry out.
A close second, with over 36,000 searches a month, on average, was firefighter. Given the growing frequency and severity of wildfires raged across the country, perhaps this is unsurprising — and it is a very traditional job (ask the average 5 year-old and it’s a frequent top choice). Realtor was the third most searched-for job, with over 35,000 monthly searches, beating out becoming a lawyer, which was in fourth place with 29,000 searches.
Featured Video
How CoreWeave Bought and Borrowed Its Way to AI Domination
The rest of the top 10 were travel agent, pharmacist, electrician, paralegal, therapist and ultrasound technician.
MRPeasy’s report on its data points out that these, and the other jobs in the top 30 most searched-for list, are “linked to legal professionals, healthcare staff, skilled traders and low-entry side-hustlers.” Karl Henrich Lauri, CMO at MRPeasy, said these jobs cluster around ideas like quick financial gain, heroism, technical trades, “creative fulfillment, societal contribution, or travel and adventure.” He also highlighted the surprising interest in becoming an electrician, pointing to Bureau of Labor Statistics “projections that the field will grow by 11 percent by 2033, much faster than the average rate of employment in other professions.”
Anecdotally, this resonates with numerous recent reports suggesting that Gen-Z is becoming the “toolbelt generation” by seeking hands-on technical work that shuns traditional 9-to-5 office norms, that many younger workers are minimizing their efforts in their main jobs so they can pursue more fun side hustles, and that numerous entry-level office roles are already being replaced by AI tools.
Interestingly, MRPeasy’s data also show strong regional preferences in its job query searches.
For example, while becoming a notary was a top three search in 28 states, people in the three states most interested in learning how to become a notary made their queries from New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. California, Nevada, and Washington were home to searchers most interested in becoming a firefighter. MRPeasy’s data showed firefighter career info searches hitting a rate of nearly 21 searches per 100,000 residents in wildfire-plagued California, which is the highest state-specific ratio for this profession. Becoming an air traffic controller was uniquely interesting to residents of New Jersey — which may be unsurprising, given the recent drama surrounding air traffic controller shortages impacting Newark International Airport.
Lastly, the least searched-for job titles in the data are also telling: Americans really aren’t interested in becoming professional athletes, video game designers, race car drivers, illustrators or artists. In fairness, it’s tough to submit a resume to play in the NFL or get behind the wheel at a NASCAR race.
Why is this data relevant to you and your company? It is, after all, merely indicative of the kind of jobs Americans are looking at, and it isn’t as definitive as an in-person survey of roles workers are actually applying for.
The data show how popular certain kinds of human-centric roles are nowadays, which suggests that people looking to enter the job market know that AI is a threat to work like being an illustrator or video game designer (which was a hot jobs just a few years ago).
When you’re looking to hire new talent, it may help you attract the right kind of applicants with a careful explanation the duties and responsibilities of the roles you want to fill — conscious of the way people are keen to find jobs with a more human-centric angle.
The final deadline for the 2025 Inc. Best in Business Awards is Friday, September 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.
Refreshed leadership advice from CEO Stephanie Mehta
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.