[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

Amid growing fears that AI will displace human workers, China is seeing a rapid rise in new jobs built around working alongside the technology. Roles such as AI trainer, AI driving instructor and AI algorithm engineer — broadly categorized as "human-AI collaboration" positions — are emerging as some of the most sought-after occupations in new industries, and competition for talent is intensifying.

China's state broadcaster CCTV reported Monday that AI technology is spreading rapidly beyond the fitness industry into a wide range of education and training fields, including driver instruction.

The AI trainer is one of the most prominent examples. These professionals build and label datasets and train AI systems to accurately analyze exercise form and recommend personalized workout routines.

The process works like this: a trainer records both correct and incorrect postures, and engineers process the footage into data formats the AI can learn from. The trained system then helps users correct their form anytime, anywhere.

"AI trainers have transformed exercise from something you do at the gym into an activity you can do anytime, anywhere," CCTV said. "They have revolutionized the industry and changed the career paths of many working professionals."

However, because AI systems can misread exercise postures or malfunction, human experts retain final responsibility for safety oversight and workout program verification.

Sun Nan, a trainer active in the field, described the relationship with AI as "healthy competition that pushes me to develop my strengths and keep moving forward."

AI is also making inroads in driver education.

At some driving schools in China, students practice behind the wheel without a human instructor present, receiving real-time guidance and coaching from an AI system instead. Learners say they feel less pressure and more at ease than when training with a human instructor.

With AI driving instructors in place, a single system can coach up to 27 students simultaneously, boosting both teaching efficiency and instructor productivity, according to industry sources.

The industry projects China's driver-education market will exceed 148 billion yuan ($21.9 billion) by the end of this year, while the AI fitness market is expected to surpass 100 billion yuan.

As the AI industry expands, demand for related occupations is growing quickly.

AI algorithm engineers — who handle algorithm development, model training and data optimization — earn an average monthly salary of around 20,000 yuan (about 4.33 million won). AI product managers, responsible for planning product features and improving user experience, earn around 10,000 yuan (about 2.17 million won) a month, while workers in AI data-enablement roles, who build training datasets, earn between 5,000 and 20,000 yuan (about 1.08 million to 4.33 million won) per month.

Experts say that in the AI era, roles involving designing and training AI systems or verifying and managing their outputs will grow far more important than routine, repetitive tasks. As a collaborative model — in which humans and AI each leverage their respective strengths — spreads in place of full automation, demand for professionals who combine technical literacy with hands-on field expertise is expected to rise steadily.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com