How are professions changing with AI? Risks and opportunities
Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules in a variety of areas of our lives, digital and otherwise. AI is no longer a technology of the future: it is here, and it is changing everything. It is not just automating repetitive tasks; it is revolutionizing entire industries, transforming the dynamics of work and opening the door to unimaginable opportunities. Its ability to learn, analyze massive amounts of data and optimize processes goes far beyond efficiency: it is creating new professions, redefining existing ones and forcing us to rethink our role in the world of work. But what does all this mean for those working in digital, and SEO in particular? Let’s find out together what professions are most in demand and how the SEO professional can evolve to remain relevant in a market increasingly dominated by AI.
What is Artificial Intelligence: the OCSE definition
The OCSE (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – or, in italian, Organizzazione per la Cooperazione e lo Sviluppo Economico) defines artificial intelligence as a system capable of interacting with its environment and generating results such as predictions, recommendations or decisions to achieve specific goals.
This process occurs through:
- The perception of the environment (whether real or virtual).
- The analysis of information to build models.
- The use of these models to propose options and support decision making.
A concrete example of the definition provided by the OCSE is ChatGPT, which represents AI as a tool for automating cognitively complex tasks typical of humans, such as reasoning and natural communication. This ability not only enables machines to perform human tasks, but also increases their efficiency. However, it is also important to consider the ethical and social implications of adopting such technologies.
Automation and impact on workers
Artificial intelligence has expanded the range of tasks that can be automated. Unlike previous technologies focused on repetitive and routine work, AI is also capable of automating “non-routine” tasks, such as medical image analysis, language translation or technical diagnosis. This development puts at risk very specialized fields such as chemical engineering, quality control, and power plant management.
An example of this trend is the evolution of advanced chatbots for customer service or predictive systems in the medical sector. Such innovations could drastically reduce the demand for some traditional positions while increasing the need for professionals who can design, manage, and optimize these technological tools. What are the emerging AI professions that are increasingly in demand by companies? Below is data from an analysis on Google Trends.
You might be interested: Google Advances in 2024 and marketing trends to drop in 2025
Google Trends and the new AI professionals
The research conducted on Google Trends analyzes global trends of interest for several artificial intelligence-related professions (AI Developer, AI Engineer, AI Manager, AI Architect, Prompt Engineer) in a time frame from January 1, 2014 to January 1, 2024.
The research highlights how the search for specific AI-related jobs is growing steadily. These new opportunities represent not only the evolution of technical and operational work, but also involve strategic and ethical roles.
Let’s explain who the new “AI professionals” are.
- AI Developer (blue line): specialist in the development of algorithms, models and generative artificial intelligence systems. They use advanced techniques such as neural networks, natural language models (NLP) and reinforcement learning to create and improve AI solutions. Their ability to integrate different technologies enables innovations in different domains.
- AI Engineer (red line): a key figure in the integration of AI into broader applications. This professional is in charge of data selection and preparation, monitors input processes, evaluates model performance, and ensures the quality of results. He is in charge of detecting anomalies and implementing improvements in AI systems. This is the role that shows the most significant growth.
- AI Manager (yellow line): oversees the development and implementation of AI systems. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to plan projects and ensure they meet quality and sustainability standards. The AI Manager also observes global trends to discover new technology opportunities.
- AI Architect (green line): designs the strategic AI framework, serving as a liaison between developers, data scientists, and business executives. He evaluates tools, monitors risks such as data poisoning, and implements feedback processes to continuously improve AI systems. The AI Architect plays a key role in the ethical and scalable application of artificial intelligence.
- Prompt Engineer (purple line): Expert in creating instructions (prompts) to optimize the generation of AI content. He or she is in charge of testing and refining prompts to ensure that the results are aligned with set goals and integrated with other tools or platforms.
How has the profession of the copywriter changed with AI?
With the advent of Artificial Intelligence, the role of the copywriter has transformed profoundly, becoming a balance of creativity, analysis, and continuous adaptation. Today, the copywriter is no longer just a creator of slogans and traditional advertising campaigns; he or she is a chameleon-like professional who embodies multiple identities and skills.
Who is the copywriter today? A mix of storyteller and technician, capable of telling compelling stories while optimizing content for search engines. The integration of SEO best practices and the strategic use of analytical tools have become imperative to respond to a digital environment dominated by algorithms and organic search. Some significant data demonstrate this centrality: 68 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine and 53.3 percent of web traffic comes from organic search.
The technological transformation has led to the emergence of an increasingly hybrid figure, where the line between copywriter and content creator is thinning.
Multiple skills: between creativity and analysis
The figure of the copywriter develops on multiple dimensions:
- Journalist: With Google’s introduction of the concept of E-E-A-T (Experience , Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthyness), the quality and validity of information is paramount. The copywriter must conduct thorough research and ensure that content is authoritative and well-informed.
- Analyst: through interpretation of data and keywords, the copywriter must anticipate users’ intentions, proposing useful content that addresses specific needs.
- Technician: a basic knowledge of HTML and CMS enables the creation of aesthetically curated and SEO-friendly content, enhancing synergy with development teams.
- Marketer: the ability to persuade and understand the audience is essential. Techniques such as storytelling and the use of social proof make it possible to generate emotion and drive action.
Is Artificial Intelligence replacing the copywriter? Absolutely NO!
AI has not replaced the copywriter, but it has amplified the copywriter’s reach, pushing the copywriter to integrate new tools and techniques to remain competitive.
Tools like AI Writer speed up the writing process, leaving the professional more time to focus on strategy, creativity, and empathy in content. Artificial intelligence is a means, not an end, that helps improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. AI tools, in short, help generate ideas, create drafts or personalize messages for specific audience segments, but it is the copywriter who ensures that the end result is authentic and consistent with the brand’s voice.
Being a copywriter today means, therefore:
- Having a unique style and authentic voice, which he or she uses to create distinctive and memorable content.
- Managing and orchestrating the entire content creation cycle, working closely with other professionals such as content creators, designers, and social media managers.
- Be a professional who can adapt to different tones, styles, and registers while maintaining brand consistency and authenticity.
You might be interested in: Guide to corporate branding, a lever for improving SEO as well
Google Trends: Copywriter Vs Content creator
“Is the content creator an evolution of the copywriter?” According to Google Trends data, interest in the copywriter has declined significantly over the past decade, while the content creator has become an increasingly sought-after figure. This data raises an interesting question: does the content creator represent a natural evolution of the copywriter?
In a sense, yes. The content creator does not replace the copywriter, but expands the copywriter’s skills, adapting them to a changing digital environment. Whereas the copywriter focuses primarily on text, the content creator operates on a much wider range of formats and platforms, incorporating visual, audio, and strategic skills.
This does not mean that the copywriter is an obsolete figure, but rather that the two roles are converging into one increasingly multidisciplinary figure. The ability to integrate storytelling, search engine optimization, and multimedia production is now essential to meet the needs of modern brands, where all content must be strategic and adaptable.
The Role of SEO in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
In an era when advanced algorithms and language models such as GPT-4 and BERT are transforming the dynamics of online search, the SEO professional is no longer just a technical optimizer, but evolving into a strategic and multidisciplinary figure. How.
Ivano Di Biasi, in his book “SEO for AI,” argues that traditional search engines, such as Google and Bing, are losing centrality to AI-based voice assistants and chatbots. These tools provide immediate and accurate answers, reducing the need to navigate through search results. How to adapt to this change?
How to do SEO for AI: the aspects to optimize on the site
- Create detailed and relevant content: comprehensively address topics, responding to users’ specific needs.
- Use structured data: implement markup such as schema.org to make it easier for AI to understand content.
- Maintain a clear site structure: ensure intuitive navigation and a logical hierarchy of information.
- Update content regularly: provide current and accurate information to maintain relevance.
SEOZoom’s AI tools such as the AI Writer combines artificial intelligence with SEO data to generate optimized content, while the Editorial Assistant offers real-time SEO analysis, guiding the creation of content that responds to users’ search intent.
The Question Explorer tool , on the other hand unlike traditional keyword research, focuses on questions that users ask search engines directly, while SEO Spider allows users to analyze the structure of the site, identifying any problems and suggesting improvements to optimize navigation.
New skills, risks and adaptations needed
AI adoption requires a rethinking of job role design. Skills that were not previously required become essential, while others lose relevance. This places a crucial emphasis on the need for ongoing training to adapt workers to the new requirements:
- Advanced digital skills: skills in data analysis, programming languages and understanding machine learning models.
- Soft skills: critical thinking, change management and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Vertical training: workers with specific vertical training benefit more from the introduction of AI because of their targeted skills that facilitate the adoption of new technologies.
The transformations brought by artificial intelligence also carry risks. The substitution of certain tasks may generate inequalities, especially in lower-skilled sectors. In addition, algorithms can introduce bias, as evidenced by studies on personnel selection systems and medical algorithms. This highlights the need for robust governance to ensure that AI is deployed ethically and inclusively. However, many workers are also hopeful, seeing AI as an opportunity to improve their productivity and focus on more creative and strategic tasks .
AI in business strategies: where do we stand today?
According to a recent Study conducted by Plus Company and Statista, which surveyed 350 marketing professionals including Vice Presidents of Marketing and senior decision-makers from companies with more than 1,500 employees, operating in industries such as manufacturing, financial services, retail/e-commerce, automotive, transportation/logistics, and telecommunications, a significant finding emerges:
89% of marketing leaders recognize the usefulness of AI in creative creation and strategy. However, only 54 percent have actually integrated AI into their workflows.
Among the main difficulties are resistance to change, cited by 45 percent of marketers, and fear of cost, considered a barrier especially by senior executives. In small companies, this resistance is even more pronounced, affecting 71 percent of organizations. This is compounded by technical challenges such as the difficulty of implementing AI solutions at scale and the lack of specific in-house expertise.
The study, which covered key markets such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany, highlights an important discrepancy: although the opportunities offered by AI are clear, many companies still face practical and cultural challenges that stand in the way of wider and more comprehensive adoption. Where do you stand?
