Things AI Will Replace (Soon)

by Stephan Kinsella on February 11, 2026

I remember seeing a poster from a few years ago showing all the things smart phones replaced—pagers, dictaphones, address book, alarms, timers, music, podcasts, audiobooks, levels, cameras, dictionary, translation, maps, computers, compasses, GPS, flashlights, and so on. I asked Grok and ChatGPT to do the same for AI. See posters and lists below. Of course AI is being gimped and hampered by IP, and some of the things it will do are only necessary because of IP—for example generating new music or book covers or illustrations with AI because using existing music or images might infringe copyright.

See 24 things that the mobile phone has replaced; 30 Things Your Smartphone Has Replaced; 24 things made obsolete by smartphones.

Things AI Artificial Intelligence Replaces (Soon)

My prompt:

There was like a poster sized chart, maybe five or 10 years ago showing all the things the smart phone has replaced like compasses and the calculators and flashlights see if you can find that poster or chart and then see if you can use that to inspire the creation of a similar list of things that AI might start replacing or make obsolete soon, such as audiobook, narration translation services, indexing a book, Special effects in movies and TV, generating background music for illustration purposes, or four scenes in movies and TV, or imagine a robot band who actually impeccably play real instruments, Writing lyrics for songs, Making new music, making covers of old music, making music videos, self driving cars, maybe robots doing elder care or errands or cooking for you in your home and so on. Show me the old poster I am thinking of, show me the new list, and make a poster out of the new list similar to the old poster.

ChatGPT Answer

A similar “replacement list” for AI (near-term)

Words & knowledge work

Audiobook narration / voiceover (incl. accents & character voices)
Translation & live interpretation
Transcription + meeting notes + action items
Indexing a book (back-of-book style indexes) [Indexia]
Copyediting, proofreading, style harmonization
First-draft blog posts, newsletters, marketing copy
Research briefs & literature scans
Basic legal drafting (templates, clause libraries, summaries)
Customer support tier-1 chat/email
Basic tutoring / homework help

Images, video & sound

Stock photos & generic illustrations
Product mockups and ad creatives
Storyboards & animatics
Background music for videos / podcasts / demos
Sound effects beds & simple foley generation
Basic VFX cleanup (rotoscoping, object removal, sky replacement)
Subtitle creation + timing + formatting
Short-form social clips from long videos
Image upscaling, restoration, de-noising
Logo/brand concept variants (early-stage exploration)

Software & data

Boilerplate code and app scaffolding
Unit tests, docstrings, and API examples
Data cleaning, CSV wrangling, quick analyses
SQL queries and dashboard drafts
DevOps snippets, config generation, infra templates
Bug triage and log summarization
Spreadsheet modeling “first pass”
Standard BI reporting commentary
Simple automation scripts (“glue work”)
Documentation + internal wikis from code/comments

The physical world (robots + edge AI)

Self-driving / assisted driving for routine routes
Warehouse picking and basic sorting
Store inventory scanning and shelf auditing
Home cleaning (vacuum/mop + simple tidying tasks)
Meal-prep assistance (guided cooking + shopping lists + timing)
Elder-care support (reminders, check-ins, companionship)
Delivery runs for groceries and small parcels
Routine inspections (pipes, roofs, crops, power lines via drones/vision)
Simple manufacturing assembly steps

• • Security monitoring (anomaly detection and alerting)

Grok Answer

The Original List from the Smartphone Replacement Chart

Here’s the complete list extracted from the chart:

Camera
Cam-recorder (video recorder)
Radio
Portable Music Player
eBook Reader
Calculator
Voice Recorder
GPS (physical maps)
Flash Light (torch light)
Leveler (for construction)
Scanner
Compass
Portable Gaming Device
Game Console Controller
Barcode Scanner (QR reader)
Credit Card Scanner
USB Thumbdrive (flash drive)
Portable Video Player
Walkie Talkie
Traditional Landline Phone
Clock / Alarm Clock
Wrist Watch
Timer
Books (Dictionary / Encyclopedia)
Calendar
Notepad / Sketchpad
Newspaper
Photo Album
Contact List / Phone Book
Board Games
Watching Movies
Land-line Internet
Checking eMail
Surfing Internet
Video Chatting
Thermostat
Measuring Tapes
Guitar Tuner
Light Meter
ATM / Debit / Credit Cards
Airline Tickets
Business Cards
Remote Controller
Car Keys
Paper Money / Coins
Cable TV
Laptops
Communication Skills

Inspired by this, I’ve created a similar list for things AI is already replacing or could make obsolete soon. I drew from your examples (like audiobook narration, translation, special effects, music generation, robots for care/cooking/errands, etc.) and expanded it to mirror the structure and length, focusing on services, jobs, devices, and tasks where AI (including robotics and generative tech) is disrupting or automating.

New List: 50 Things AI Might Replace or Make Obsolete Soon

Audiobook Narration (AI voices)
Translation Services (real-time AI translators)
Book Indexing (AI summarization and organization)
Special Effects in Movies/TV (AI-generated VFX)
Generating Background Music (AI composers)
Illustration (AI art generators)
Generating Scenes in Movies/TV (AI video synthesis)
Live Bands/Musicians (AI-controlled robot bands playing instruments)
Writing Song Lyrics (AI lyric generators)
Creating New Music (AI music composition)
Music Covers (AI voice cloning)
Music Video Production (AI video editors/generators)
Self-Driving Cars (AI autonomous vehicles replacing drivers)
Elder Care Assistance (AI robots for companionship and monitoring)
Errand Running (AI drones/robots for deliveries)
Home Cooking (AI robotic chefs)
Customer Service Reps (AI chatbots)
Data Entry Clerks (AI automation)
Legal Research (AI legal assistants)
Medical Diagnosis Aids (AI diagnostic tools)
Content Writing (AI article generators)
Graphic Design (AI design tools)
Stock Trading (AI algorithms)
Basic Tutoring (AI educational bots)
Photography Editing (AI photo enhancers)
Voice Acting (AI synthetic voices)
Language Teaching (AI language apps)
Scriptwriting (AI story generators)
Animation (AI animators)
News Reporting (AI-generated articles)
Virtual Assistants (replacing human secretaries)
Proofreading (AI editors)
Market Research (AI data analysts)
Personal Trainers (AI fitness coaches)
Travel Agents (AI planners)
Accountants (AI bookkeeping)
Architects’ Drafting (AI design software)
Surgeons’ Assistants (AI robotics in surgery)
Factory Workers (AI assembly lines)
Taxi Drivers (AI ride-sharing fleets)
Librarians (AI search and recommendation)
Receptionists (AI virtual greeters)
Composers (AI orchestral tools)
Game Designers (AI level generators)
Therapists (AI mental health bots, for basic support)
Farmers’ Monitoring (AI agrotech)
Chefs’ Recipe Creation (AI culinary innovators)
Teachers’ Grading (AI assessment)
Artists’ Sketching (AI concept art)
Human Interaction in Routine Tasks (AI companions reducing isolation but potentially social skills)

To visualize this new list as a poster similar to the old one, here’s an infographic I found that echoes the theme—envisioning an ideal AI device and what it could do or replace in the future.