No, our jobs are not doomed from AI

Check back tomorrow so I can tell you why we actually are though

Here’s the best case I can make for why AI isn’t going to take everyone’s job: humans aren’t actually capable of using it properly.

No, I don’t mean you, the person reading this, don’t know how to open ChatGPT and hack through the basics.

Everyone knows how to use it to prep for sales calls or write a Deepfake Personalization™️ email pretending they read a stranger’s LinkedIn profile (without actually doing it). At least I hope everyone does.

And no, I don’t mean you don’t know how to use any of the AI point solutions. The stuff that raised billions and will be replaced shortly by upgraded versions of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc. (RIP companies building AI copywriting tools, meeting note takers, and chatbot builders. Your days are numbered.)

I mean truly replacing an entire workflow process of a job. AI Agents as the kids call it.

Joining your Zoom call. Taking notes. Transcribing them. Summarizing what was discussed. Flagging who’s doing what follow-up. Logging it all into your CRM. Writing a follow-up email. Creating a proposal. Reminding you to check if they don’t respond.

All without lifting a finger. No human intervention along the way.

And you apply this process to every aspect of your business. Operations, HR, accounting, client support, compliance, etc.

No software engineers needed. But what you do need is someone with a progressive, process-focused mindset, change management skills, and buy-in from an exec team to upend ‘what works.’

So I ask you: how many companies is that, really?

How many forward-thinking process people are there? And how many companies have the willingness to disrupt their operations?

And what about companies with really dated systems that won’t integrate easily? Or security and privacy concerns? Or quality control?

Large companies can afford the resources. Newer/progressive software or tech-enabled companies may have the team already.

But what about everyone else?

I have doubts. The biggest barrier to AI isn’t a technical limitation. It’s people.

Tune in tomorrow when I take the other side of this argument and tell you why we really are doomed…

James Hornick

Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.