Artificial intelligence is transforming the workplace faster than any technology most of us have experienced. It has changed how we work, sparked fears about job security, and raised questions about what work will look like in the years ahead. AI has been and continues to be a disruptive force in the workplace. For most professionals, AI represents the biggest shift in knowledge work of our careers. Unlike previous technologies, AI isn’t just changing how we communicate. It’s changing how we think, create, analyze, and make decisions. According to the World Economic Forum, nearly 40% of workers’ core skills are expected to change over the next five years because of advances in technology, including AI.
AI Is Your Biggest Career Opportunity
Those who learn to work effectively with AI will be more productive and more valuable to their teams and organizations. While predictions about AI coming for your job dominate the headlines, the reality is more nuanced. AI will eliminate some tasks and reshape many jobs, but it will also create enormous opportunities for those who commit to learning about it and applying it at work. Of course, many people are unsure of where AI is headed and how to make the best use of it. Now’s the time to adopt the skills, mindsets, and behaviors that will help you maximize this still-fairly-new phenomenon.
1. Stop Competing With AI. Learn to Partner with It
If you think of AI as a competitor and your eventual replacement, you’ll impede the impact you can make when you fully embrace it. Stop asking whether AI will replace you. Instead, decide which work AI should do, and which work is best left to you. The strongest partnerships combine AI’s speed, scale, and analytical power with your judgment, creativity, empathy, and communication skills. This turns AI into your competitive advantage. Make AI stand for “All In” and exploit its potential. That turns AI into your trusted partner, not your competitor.
2. Become AI Fluent
You don’t need to become an AI engineer, but you do need to understand how AI works, where it excels, where it fails, and how to use it to amplify your impact. Don’t wait for AI to reshape your job. Experiment with new tools now and redesign how you work. Become the colleague people turn to when they want practical advice about AI. This will help you bolster your relationships with them while demonstrating that you are both AI savvy and a confident change agent. There are countless learning programs on the topic of AI. For example, well over half of the Maven learning catalog now incorporates AI in some meaningful way. Invest in learning AI from trusted sources. The professionals who commit to learning fastest will adapt fastest.
3. Invest in the Human Capabilities AI Cannot Commoditize
Although AI excels at content, speed, and efficiency, there are essential human capabilities that AI still struggles to replicate. That’s why the partnership can be so successful. For the AI-human partnership to work, you need to decide what AI does and what you do. You’ll never be able to write a 5-page report in under a minute, nor will you be able to analyze thousands of data points to identify themes and trends. And that’s OK. Leave that to your AI colleague and focus on those things that set you apart from technology. They’re also the capabilities that create trust, influence, and leadership. And they’re probably the things that you enjoy most. Develop your AI skills, but invest just as heavily in communication, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, leadership, and relationship building. Focus specifically on communication skills, in particular, public speaking and storytelling. AI can help you devise solutions, but inspiring and influencing others to adopt that solution falls on your side of the partnership.
4. Solve Bigger Problems, Let AI Focus on Tasks
The most time-consuming parts of many jobs are also the most routine. They’re often the things that exhaust you. The great news is that AI automates routine work. This allows you to shift your focus toward strategy, innovation, decision-making, and complex problem-solving. You can become more strategic when the mundane tasks are being taken care of. This will signal to your boss and other leaders that you have leadership potential. Stop defining your value by what you do. Define it by the business impact you create. AI changes how work gets done, but organizations will continue to reward people who deliver meaningful results.
5. Build a Reputation AI Can’t Replace
AI frees up some time for you. Use the time AI saves to invest in your personal brand. Clarify your strengths, define what makes you stand out, tell your captivating story, and consistently share ideas that help other people. Strong personal brands are built through generous participation in communities. Spend time building relationships, growing your network, and helping others increase their success. Share your meaningful thought leadership to increase your visibility. In the age of AI, opportunities increasingly go to people who are known and trusted. Demonstrate your skills, share your unique point of view, and commit to supporting others to build an enviable reputation.
6. Continuously Reinvent Yourself
The pace of technological change is exponential. That means your current expertise and mindset will not guarantee your success tomorrow. When you make learning and experimentation part of your personal brand, you will continue to create value as work evolves. Learn at the speed of change. AI is evolving rapidly. Make continuous learning a habit so your skills, judgment, and perspective stay ahead of technology. When you commit to embracing continuous learning, you won’t fear change. You will benefit from it. You’ll increase your resilience and remain relevant in a rapidly evolving world.
AI Is A Powerful Partner For Growing Your Career Success
Your greatest career advantage won’t come from ignoring AI or becoming more like it. It will come from partnering with AI, so you become more human, more strategic, more creative, and more valuable than ever before.
William Arruda is a keynote speaker, personal branding pioneer, and Senior Contributor to Forbes. Join his complimentary Lightning Lesson, Public Speaking Myths: What Great Presenters Really Do.
