AI Won’t Take Your Job—But Someone Who Uses It Better Than You Will
I’m About to Make Some Predictions About AI, Which Is Probably the Dumbest Thing I Could Do. But I’m Doing It Anyway.
Look, I’ve spent the past eight years at Stanford’s CS department, watching AI go from a fascinating intellectual puzzle to a full-blown industrial revolution. And let me tell you, anyone who claims to have this all figured out is either selling snake oil or hasn’t been paying attention. But I’m going to stick my neck out anyway, because we need to talk about what’s coming. And what’s coming is big.
As Ethan Mollick puts it, “The AI you’re using right now is the worst AI you’ll ever use.” People love to say, “Well, AI can’t do X.” My response: When was the last time you actually tried? If it was more than a week ago, you’re already out of date.
Every Job Will Be Affected
Historically, technology has reshaped certain kinds of jobs. The telephone replaced telegraph operators. Factory automation changed manufacturing forever. But AI? AI will leave no job untouched.
Some jobs will disappear. Others will improve in quality but become so efficient that companies won’t need as many people to do them. Marketing, design, programming—and management. Even highly skilled roles will require fewer people as AI boosts productivity, which means somebody is getting laid off. Nobody is safe.
Who Will Succeed in the AI Era?
Two types of people are best positioned for this new world:
- People with a strong general education, excellent writing, and critical thinking skills. The ability to analyze, synthesize, and communicate clearly is more valuable than ever. I’m sending my kid to a liberal arts college with zero regrets.
- People with domain knowledge.AI is great at summarizing and generating content, but the people who understand an industry inside and out will be the ones who can evaluate AI output and shape it to maximum utility.
If you’re both? You’re golden. Time to send some time understanding AI.
How to Stay Ahead
If you’re not actively using AI, you’re falling behind. But don’t just mess around with ChatGPT—jump between Claude, Gemini, Grok, or whatever model the buzz is about this week. Experimentation is key.
And don’t just play. Play with purpose.
How to Fart Around with AI Effectively
- Provide as much context to the AI as possible. Upload relevant documents—company mission, vision, OKRs, research. The more background AI has, the better its output. Use “projects” in Chaptgpt/Claude to save critical context.
- Give AI a role. Tell it what kind of expert it is—a senior copywriter, a SaaS marketing strategist, a data scientist. This improves relevance.
- Outline before generating. Have AI create an outline first, then refine it before it writes. Try it both ways—you’ll see the difference.
- Ask AI to critique itself. It’s surprisingly good at pointing out flaws in its own responses.
- Tweak the tone. If AI’s output sounds too annoyingly perky or boringly generic, tell it to adjust. I often use “informal yet professional” as a tone guide.
- Close-read everything. AI-generated text looks polished but can fall apart under scrutiny.
- Ask for citations—and verify them. AI is improving at sourcing, but still hallucinates. This is happening less often than in the early days, but it still happens. Always check citations.
How Fast Will Change Happen?
AI is moving fast. But companies? They change slowly.
Think about how long it took organizations to adopt OKRs. I was working with them in 2014, but I still get emails from companies just now implementing them ten years later. Some businesses are just starting their digital transformation—two decades after the internet became mainstream.
So no, your job isn’t disappearing tomorrow. But the time to start adapting is now.
Final Thoughts
- Everything is going to change. Accept it.
- Track what AI means for your industry.
- Many industries will adopt AI slowly—but not all. Some will transform tomorrow. And startups are all very excited to disrupt you.
- Experiment. Paying for access to multiple models will pay off in raises and promotions.
- Never assume you’ve figured AI out. It’s improving exponentially.
- Learn from others.
If you want a big-picture view, read Co-Intelligence** by Ethan Mollick. For business insights, his Substack, One Useful Thing, is a must-read. But there are amazing YouTube channels, blogs, and newsletters in every field—from screenwriting to project management.
Don’t try to figure this out alone. Stay curious. Keep experimenting. Read everything. AI isn’t waiting for you to catch up.
