Closing out tonight's special, as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the future of work, some estimates say up to 30% of our work activities could be automated by the year 2030.

Some students at Central Piedmont Community College are focusing on something different: the skills that make them irreplaceable.

"Carolina Impact"'s Heather Burgiss has more.

- [Instructor] 48 on center.

- [Heather] In this construction management classroom at Central Piedmont Community College, every decision from equipment to measurements... - [Instructor] At your inch-and-a-half mark.

- [Heather] And where to cut matters.

And for students like Saron Mamo, it's where confidence starts to take shape.

- I feel powerful, honestly.

I think you've seen I am the only girl in the class.

I'm able to do just as much as all the guys.

That's very empowering to me.

I really wanna do hands-on stuff.

I wanna see results right away, and I like that rewarding feeling.

So I just thought construction management was the best fit for me.

- [Heather] As artificial intelligence reshapes industries, the McKinsey Global Institute's report on the future of work in America estimates up to 30% of work activities could be automated by 2030.

And students here are asking a different question: what can't be replaced?

- AI, I know it's a fear right now that it might replace jobs, but I think in construction management, that's not likely, at least in my opinion.

- Mark it at the edge.

- You are still gonna need your human skills to work with other humans.

I think it takes a lot of teamwork.

- What was my roof slope?

- Five, two.

- I'm gonna find five at the edge here.

- [Heather] And in construction, teamwork becomes clear right away.

- Just 'cause I know AI's not gonna take that over.

Yes, it can help you on the desk, like doing estimating, scheduling, and even like writing reports and stuff like that.

But AI is not gonna be out there building houses, pouring concrete, laying walls.

AI can kind of help you out every now and then, but you need that special touch to do certain trades.

- And contracting is relationship building.

A lot of this, the bigger the project, the more people, the more companies and organizations that have to work together.

So those personal relationships and how you work with the people that actually have to get the work done.

- [Heather] Because no two projects and no people are ever the same.

- AI technology does not replace those relationships, and at the end of the day, business and contracting, it falls back on those relationships the most.

But also critical thinking, problem-solving.

You wouldn't need construction managers if everything was perfect, every architect created perfect plans, and everything was built exactly to the plan.

What happens when a plumber is, you know, a day late on getting to a project?

Well, AI's not gonna take into account those human errors.

Or, you know, we also gotta be empathetic.

There's maybe a reason why you didn't show up on time, but that's gonna set off a chain of events that you've gotta deal with to now, you know, get the job back on track.

- Programs like these at Central Piedmont are training students to use AI to assist and to be a tool, but not to replace the human element.

And for the students, it's the human connection and teamwork that make this work so meaningful and needed.

(monitor beeping) - Hi, Stephanie.

I'm Kojuanda.

I have a nature for service, and nursing still affords me the opportunity to have that direct patient care.

- What are we checking for?

- Yeah, we just wanna check some of your levels.

- [Heather] Kojuanda Carrington says the accelerated nursing program has trained her and her classmates in step with AI, with high-tech, high-pressure simulations.

- Go ahead and give him four milligrams of Zofran.

- [Heather] Trained to think quickly, act decisively, and care deeply.

- AI can help us with the efficiency of how things run, but there are just some things that it's not equipped to do, to feel, to have an inclination of something.

It could be something that simple smile that could make a difference in a patient's day.

- Does that sound okay?

- Just picture this.

You're in some sort of a healthcare crisis.

You don't really necessarily think about AI as being able to give that human aspect of it: the touch, the voice, the facial expressions.

Thinking about AI is more like the data pattern recognitions.

It's never going to be able to replace that human care.

And we also stress that too when we're doing that with our students.

We'll say, you know, it's not just about the books, it's about the empathy, it's about the compassion, it's about the time.

So that direct patient care is something that we also stress, and AI is never gonna be able to replace that.

- [Heather] AI can analyze data, identify patterns, support decisions, but it can't replace presence.

- So when they do come in, we look at it kind of like AI running alongside, not to necessarily replace.

And so how can we best help them to utilize those tools so that when they go out into those real-world scenarios that they're ready.

- Sometimes it's just not actually knowing the skill, but how to deliver that skill.

And that can make all of a difference, whether a patient, how they perceive the care that they're receiving.

- Take deep breaths in through your nose, out through your mouth.

- Just watching the thinking that takes place, the critical thinking that we're developing in them, and them actually being able to play it out, knowing that they're gonna step out there and just be prepared for whatever is gonna come their way.

We're teaching them how to adapt.

- [Heather] As AI continues to evolve in our workplaces, it seems for many careers, the human moments still matter most.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Heather Burgiss.