Total automation is a fantasy in real-world deployment: (Daniel Jeffries) (www.freethink.com)

In his analysis, Daniel Jeffries challenges the widespread notion that AI will soon lead to total job automation, calling it a "fantasy" in real-world deployment. While popular narratives warn that AI will replace humans entirely, Jeffries highlights the complex realities of integrating AI into workplaces: tasks often require nuanced decision-making and handling unpredictable edge cases, making full automation extremely difficult. Projects frequently fail because AI systems struggle with problem definition, iterative refinement, and verification—especially in high-stakes environments like finance, medicine, and legal work where errors can be costly or dangerous. Jeffries points out that AI doesn’t eliminate work; instead, it changes workflows, requiring human oversight to guide, verify, and correct outputs. This creates new roles focused on managing AI systems rather than replacing workers outright. Moreover, the economics of running AI agents at scale—factoring in computational costs and infrastructure—undermine the assumption that digital labor is cheap or free. Companies face significant overhead ensuring AI reliability, and while AI can speed up certain jobs, it often demands more human intervention than anticipated. Ultimately, Jeffries frames AI as part of an ongoing labor evolution, not a wholesale replacement: humans will shift from direct execution to roles as supervisors and collaborators with these digital tools.