Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Humans? An Industrial Sociological Inquiry into Employment, Education, and the Future of Work in Nigeria
The growing integration of Artificial Intelligence into production systems, service delivery, and organisational management has intensified concerns regarding the future relevance of human labour within emerging digital economies. Against this background, this paper examined Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Humans? An Industrial Sociological Inquiry into Employment, Education, and the Future of Work. The paper specifically investigated how artificial intelligence is reshaping employment opportunities and job roles across sectors of the economy, assessed its implications for workers’ job security and workplace relations in contemporary organisations, and analysed its implications for the future organisation of work and human labour in Nigeria. The paper was anchored on Skill-Biased Technological Change Theory, which explains how technological advancement disproportionately rewards workers with higher-order technical competencies while exposing routine-based occupations to displacement. Analytical review method was adopted, involving a critical examination and synthesis of recent theoretical and empirical literature published between 2020 and 2026. The paper revealed that artificial intelligence is not eliminating work entirely but is restructuring occupational roles through task automation and task enhancement. The paper further found that while AI improves efficiency and productivity, it also introduces job insecurity and alters workplace authority through algorithm-driven control systems. Within Nigeria, the findings showed that weak educational adaptation, inadequate digital infrastructure, and limited workforce reskilling mechanisms pose significant barriers to inclusive participation in AI-driven labour markets. The paper concluded that artificial intelligence will redefine rather than replace human labour, with outcomes dependent on institutional preparedness. It recommended curriculum reform, structured workforce reskilling, and the development of regulatory frameworks to ensure responsible and human-centred technological transition.
KEYWORDS: Artificial Intelligence, Human Labour, Employment Restructuring, Educational Adaptation, Future of Work, industrial Sociology, Nigeria.
