Human knowledge and judgement remain essential to harnessing AI’s full potential with much of AI’s value remaining untapped without the power of human intelligence and involvement, according to a latest report from Cognizant.
The IT major has released its ‘New Work, New World 2026’ report which provides fresh analysis on how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact work and jobs.
The research reveals that AI is now capable of handling $4.5 trillion in US work tasks and impacting potentially 93 per cent of jobs today but human involvement and adaptable operations continue to be vital to capturing the full value potential of AI.
The report, based on a reassessment of 18,000 tasks and 1,000 jobs in the O*NET labor database, focuses on how jobs and tasks could be assisted or automated by AI. It points to an accelerated pace of change in ‘exposure scores’, the degree to which a job can be assisted or automated by AI.
“We’re seeing significant capital flow into AI, and the rapid adoption of these technologies is reshaping the workplace. However, turning that investment into meaningful results takes more than raw technology power. Businesses must also integrate contextual intelligence, build flexible systems that can absorb new AI capabilities, and prioritize human learning and development alongside technological advancements,” says Ravi Kumar S, CEO of Cognizant.
The report also revealed that the average exposure score across jobs is 39 per cent today implying more tasks can be assisted or automated by AI. These exposure scores are also now increasing by 9 per cent annually.
Meanwhile, roles in computer and mathematics, once seen as highly exposed to AI, no longer top the report’s exposure scores – indicating rapid advancements in AI may have reached their limits in some knowledge work areas. Manual labor jobs could be impacted at a faster rate than previously understood with the exposure score for transportation rising from 6 per cent to 25 per cent, and in construction it rose from 4 per cent to 12 per cent.
Published on January 16, 2026
