AI’s next disruption: Analysts say 2026 could bring widespread job shifts

TAMPA - AI tools exploded into public use in 2025, with video generators such as Sora and VEO producing realistic synthetic clips and accelerating public awareness of AI’s capabilities. 

Researchers and labor analysts now say the next phase — 2026 — could be when technology begins reshaping the job market in ways more Americans actually feel.

Leading studies identify the most-exposed occupations: entry-level coders, call-center workers and customer-service roles, accountants and bookkeepers, technical writers, and other routine administrative positions. 

Those jobs tend to involve repeatable, pattern-based digital work that newer AI models perform well. By contrast, blue-collar trades that require physical dexterity and on-site problem-solving are much harder for current AI to replace.

Important unknowns remain

• The pace and scale of layoffs
• How companies will redeploy or retrain affected workers
• How regional economies will absorb any disruptions

We don’t yet have comprehensive, government-level data showing the industry-by-industry effects, which is part of what some lawmakers want to change.

The other side:

Some economists argue AI will create more jobs than it eliminates over time, pointing to historical automation cycles that increased productivity and spawned new industries. 

Companies also say AI can augment human work—reducing repetitive tasks while raising demand for higher-skill roles in AI oversight, data analysis, and systems engineering. Still, those who benefit may not be the same workers who lose routine positions, prompting calls for stronger transition programs.

READ: Governor DeSantis touts recent proposal to limit AI access

What they're saying:

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), who supports transparency measures, put it bluntly: "The basic idea is we should know: are AI companies creating jobs or destroying jobs?"

HVAC technician Tyler Decker described why trades feel safer, at least for now: "In my trade in HVAC, you got a lot of climbing around to do up in the attics and stuff like that, and I’ve yet to see any AI try to get up a ladder into the attic or anything in that nature."

Why you should care:

If AI reduces routine white-collar positions, communities could see sudden income shocks, changes in hiring practices, and increased demand for retraining programs. Consumers might also notice faster service but thinner entry-level employment pipelines. 

For students and early-career workers, the choices they make now about majors and skills could determine their resilience in a shifting labor market. Surveys of college students already show an uptick in double majors selected as possible hedges against automation risk.

What's next:

Congressional proposals would require many companies to report jobs lost or significantly changed because of AI—data that could drive policy on training, unemployment support, and tax incentives for businesses that retrain workers.