AI's Impact on Jobs

I recently wrote that AI is not just a technology shift – it's a work shift. So, how does that play out? First, AI changes how we do tasks. Next, it changes how we do our jobs. Then, it changes entire functions. The result? A brand new way of getting work done and thinking about growth. Step 1: AI transforms tasks: AI works with you. It helps you do what you’ve always done — just faster. A marketer drafts blog posts in minutes. A rep writes emails with higher personalization, less effort. A support leader summarizes tickets in seconds. This is where most teams are today: AI as a productivity booster. Step 2: AI transforms jobs. AI works for you. It starts delivering outcomes. A content agent spins one blog into a full campaign. A prospecting agent books qualified meetings without human touch. A customer agent handles most Tier 1 support tickets. The job itself starts to evolve. You spend less time doing — and more time creating, optimizing, and scaling. Step 3: AI transforms functions. As agents take on entire workflows, the structure of departments begins to shift: Support shifts from to proactive experience design. Marketing shifts to creative strategy. Sales shifts to high-impact closing. Role ratios change. Skillsets shift. We are not quite here but we can see the path. The result for scaling businesses? A whole new way of approaching work, structuring teams, and thinking about growth.

AI is often painted as a threat—machines poised to take over jobs, leaving people obsolete. But what if, instead of focusing on what AI might take away, we consider what it could give back? Rather than a competitor, AI could become the best partner we’ve ever had—a "twin" that handles the tasks cluttering our day, freeing us to focus on what matters. Consider this: studies show that the average employee spends 2.5 hours a day—over 600 hours a year—on repetitive administrative tasks. That’s valuable time that could be redirected to strategic thinking, personal projects, or simply getting home earlier. With AI taking on these tasks, we reclaim not just time, but the mental bandwidth needed for true innovation. Imagine an AI assistant tailored just for you. This “AI twin” could manage your schedule, filter emails, and anticipate tasks, allowing you to stay focused on creative problem-solving. AI has transformative potential, for companies and individuals. While it’s reshaping fields like science and technology, I’m interested in how it will help us live fuller lives. Take the insights of Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer at HP Inc., who says that the future lies not in “either/or” scenarios but in a world of “and”—where business and personal growth can coexist. “Thanks to AI, we’re entering an age of personalized experience, where work and personal fulfillment don’t compete; they enhance each other,” he says. Lucio’s vision underscores a human truth: AI isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about creating a world where people can do meaningful work AND live fulfilling lives. The American Institute of Stress reports that 80% of workers feel stressed on the job–an astounding number. AI could help. Imagine starting your day knowing your inbox has been organized, meetings have been scheduled, and tasks prioritized . This relief could be transformative, supporting mental wellness. Think of AI as a personal companion, constantly learning your preferences, anticipating your needs, and thinking 10 steps ahead. This “AI twin” could help with everything from remembering birthdays to suggesting ways to make room for your own self-care. Not to mention taking on all of the "invisible labor"–the behind-the-scenes work that keeps everything running smoothly. From organizing schedules and office parties to ensuring every family member’s needs are met, to the countless reminders—replenishing household supplies, coordinating school activities—this work falls disproportionately on women. Think of the time saved with AI taking on invisible labor! You’re free to focus on what really matters—whether that’s deep work, family time, or personal wellness. AI could be the "twin" we’ve always wanted—taking on the tasks we’d rather avoid, freeing us to pursue what we’re passionate about. #AI, used well, could mark the beginning of a new era of creativity, mental wellness, and personal freedom. Women in AI Summit: The Female Quotient x ATTN:

It’s easy to think of AI as a time-saver that streamlines workflows and accelerates output. But the deeper opportunity lies in how it’s reshaping the nature of work itself. A new study from Harvard Business School’s Manuel Hoffmann followed more than 50,000 developers over two years, with half using GitHub Copilot. The results were striking: developers shifted away from project management and toward the core work of coding. Not because someone told them to, but because AI made it possible. With less need for coordination, people worked more autonomously. And with time saved, they reinvested in exploration—learning, experimenting, trying new things. What we’re seeing here isn’t just productivity. It’s a shift in how work gets done and who does what. Managers may spend less time supervising and more time contributing directly. Teams become flatter. Hierarchies adapt. This is just one signal of how generative AI is changing our org charts and challenging us to rethink how we structure, support, and lead our teams. The future of work isn’t just faster. It’s more fluid. And if we get this right, it’s a whole lot more human. https://lnkd.in/gaUgXnRY

“We are the last generation of leaders who will only lead people. The next generation will lead people and agents.” That sentence stopped me in my tracks at IBM Think 2025. It’s bold. It's provocative. And it's true! For decades, leadership meant inspiring, managing, and guiding teams of people. Now, we’re entering a new era—one where AI agents become an integral part of every team, process, and decision. At #Think2025, I saw the future unfold live: 🌀 PepsiCo is orchestrating 1,500+ agents across sales, HR, and operations. 🌀 Slack automated over 650,000 customer service interactions. 🌀 And IBM? They’ve built a platform where anyone—developer or not—can build and personalize their own AI agents in minutes. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eYHBhKVh And here’s the real shift: Leadership is no longer just human-centric. It’s hybrid. You’ll lead people—with empathy, vision, and inspiration. And you’ll lead agents—with precision, strategy, and code. This isn’t science fiction. This is now. In the coming months, this ability could be a key factor in distinguishing good leaders from great ones. How to build this? Start here: 3 Skills future-ready leaders need to build ➡️ Trust-Building in Hybrid Teams: Develop strategies to build trust between humans and AI—including transparency, clear handoffs, and progressive autonomy ➡️ Workflow Thinking: Learn to design human+agent workflows, not just manage tasks. Think orchestration and delegation ➡️ Change Leadership: Guide people through fear and uncertainty toward curiosity and capability. The mindset shift is half the battle 👉 So here’s my question to fellow leaders: Have you started preparing to lead both people and AI agents? #IBMpartner #AI #Leadership #Transformation #AgenticAI #Innovation #Changemanagement

Key takeaways from Mary Meeker's (340 page!) 2025 AI Trends report: 1. The Job market is actively reshaping with data showing a dramatic divergence in the labor market. Since January 2018, job postings in the USA requiring AI skills have skyrocketed by +448%, while non-AI IT job postings have declined by -9%. 2. It's about augmentation AND replacement. While the cliche that "You're not going to lose your job to an AI, but you're going to lose your job to somebody who uses AI" may be somewhat true, it's also true that companies are exploring agents to perform work, and this will have an impact on human jobs. HR and L&D need to really kick upskilling and integration into gear, empowering the workforce to use AI as a tool for productivity. 3. Company mandates on AI use are becoming the norm. Leading tech companies are no longer suggesting AI adoption - they're requiring it. Shopify now considers "reflexive AI usage" a "baseline expectation" for all employees. Duolingo is officially "AI-first," stating that AI use will be part of performance reviews and that new headcount will only be approved if a team cannot first automate its work. AI strategy starts at the top and leaders need to lead by example. 4. Employees are already seeing the benefits of AI - a survey of employed U.S. adults found that over 72% of those using AI chatbots at work say the tools are "extremely" or "very" helpful for doing things more quickly and improving the quality of their work. No surprise there, with the exception that perhaps the number should be higher than 72%. 5. The next generation of talent is AI-Native. Today's students are already leveraging AI for career readiness. A survey of 18-24 year-olds showed top use cases for ChatGPT include starting projects, summarizing texts, and career-related writing. Recruitment and onboarding strategies must adapt to a talent pool that expects AI tools from day one. So what does this all mean for HR and Talent leaders? This report signals a clear need to: 🚀 Rethink job descriptions & skill requirements - are you hiring for AI literacy? 🚀 Transform L&D - is your upskilling strategy focused on experiential learning and practical AI application or is it limited to online learning? 🚀 Update performance management - how will you measure and reward effective AI usage? 🚀 Adapt recruiting - how are you preparing to attract and retain an AI-native workforce? I don't think you can afford to take a "wait and see" approach. What are you and your company doing to get ahead and take full advantage of the benefits AI has to offer? Check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ed7j4Wi7 #AI #FutureOfWork #HumanResources #TalentAcquisition #Leadership

Having better coding copilots doesn’t mean we need fewer engineers, fewer data scientists, or that the skillset required today is any less demanding. Infact, it’s quite the opposite. If you’re a data scientist in 2024, here’s how you should be thinking about upskilling and using AI to elevate your career: 1️⃣ Use AI tools for your win: AI isn’t here to replace you; it’s here to make your life easier. Learn to leverage tools like Copilot to automate the boring stuff—so you can focus on the fun, challenging parts of the job. Think of it like having a really smart assistant that gives you a head start, not a crutch. 2️⃣Stay Curious About the “Why” Behind the Models: Just because AI can help you code faster doesn’t mean it can make the key decisions for you. It’s your job to understand why a model works the way it does, why certain data behaves a certain way, and what the implications are. The deeper you understand the tech, the more valuable you become. Most importantly, it is for you to understand how and when you will built AI applications that has an ROI. 3️⃣ Be the Voice of Responsible AI: AI is powerful, but it can also introduce bias or unintended consequences. In 2024, being the person who understands both the technology and the ethical side of AI is crucial. AI regulations are catching up quickly, and it’s important to stay informed. Whether you’re working with personal data or building models that impact people’s lives, understanding the legal landscape will ensure you’re on the right side of innovation. 4️⃣ Be the implementer: Data Scientst role is slowly evolving to be more engineering inorder to do from ML to MLOps (some LLMOps), so you should think about scalability, distributed computing, cloud architecture, and more. 5️⃣ Never Stop Learning: AI and data science are evolving at lightning speed. The only way to stay ahead is to keep learning. Models will keep changing, open-source will keep growing, toolkits will evolve- even though you don't need to everything, knowing what exists and what capabilities are supported is still very valuable.

Over the last year, I’ve seen many people fall into the same trap: They launch an AI-powered agent (chatbot, assistant, support tool, etc.)… But only track surface-level KPIs — like response time or number of users. That’s not enough. To create AI systems that actually deliver value, we need 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰, 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 that reflect: • User trust • Task success • Business impact • Experience quality    This infographic highlights 15 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 dimensions to consider: ↳ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 — Are your AI answers actually useful and correct? ↳ 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲 — Can the agent complete full workflows, not just answer trivia? ↳ 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 — Response speed still matters, especially in production. ↳ 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 — How often are users returning or interacting meaningfully? ↳ 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲 — Did the user achieve their goal? This is your north star. ↳ 𝗘𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲 — Irrelevant or wrong responses? That’s friction. ↳ 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 — Longer isn’t always better — it depends on the goal. ↳ 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 — Are users coming back 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 the first experience? ↳ 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 — Especially critical at scale. Budget-wise agents win. ↳ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 — Can the agent handle follow-ups and multi-turn dialogue? ↳ 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 — Feedback from actual users is gold. ↳ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 — Can your AI 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 to earlier inputs? ↳ 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 — Can it handle volume 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 degrading performance? ↳ 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 — This is key for RAG-based agents. ↳ 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 — Is your AI learning and improving over time? If you're building or managing AI agents — bookmark this. Whether it's a support bot, GenAI assistant, or a multi-agent system — these are the metrics that will shape real-world success. 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀? Let’s make this list even stronger — drop your thoughts 👇

Amid the talk of an AI agent-induced "bloodbath" for entry-level jobs after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's comments at the Code With Claude conference last week, I get it - the fear is real and it's valid. When you're already struggling to get that first break, hearing that machines might eliminate the very jobs you're targeting feels like the ground shifting beneath your feet. After two decades in this space, my strong belief is that AI is accelerating a shift that makes the old career ladder not just outdated, but dangerous to rely on. Your parents climbed rungs. You need to build a web. The old linear path—Associate to Senior Associate to Manager—is becoming a liability when entire job categories can shift overnight. The people thriving now are jumping from marketing to product management, consulting to startups, engineering to sales leadership. We're headed toward a world where a "one-person, billion dollar company" isn't a pipe dream. AI is forcing the new career map to look like this: 🔄 Lateral moves that double your skill set 🚀 Industry jumps that compound your perspective 🔗 Skills you gain through AI that unlock doors in completely different fields At Lensa, the most successful job seekers we're seeing are connecting and up/reskilling vs. climbing. They're treating their career like a portfolio, not a promotion schedule. And they're staying WAY ahead of the AI curve by learning to zoom out and strategize workflows where they used to focus on tactics. The old ladder rewarded patience and politics. The new web rewards adaptability, multiple capabilities, and generalist thinking. Your career isn't a ladder anymore. It's a choose-your-own-adventure story— AI is just raising the stakes. #AI #workforce #AIAgents

We’re all going to learn a new dual-track leadership style to manage human and digital workers: inspiring human excellence while directing digital efficiency. Inspiring human excellence remains unchanged - the centuries-old playbook of vision, compassion, and more that motivates followership. Where employee engagement scores will remain our north star as we create environments where human creativity and ingenuity flourish. But directing digital efficiency with AI agents, automation tools, and sophisticated digital workers? A playbook we all need to learn quickly. While some human leadership elements overlap - clear vision, precise goals, specific feedback - does "inspiring followership" even apply to digital workers? It's more like optimizing a manufacturing process around task accuracy and output efficiency. Think managing an AI that processes 10,000 customer queries per hour versus inspiring a human team to deliver exceptional service. The hardest part won’t be to master these two distinct modes - it’ll be to weave them together seamlessly. Balancing inspiration and connection with humans while offering extreme clarity to digital workers. And knowing when to entrust work to a human versus a digital colleague. Collaboration between humans and digital workers might actually prove easier than human-to-human - no complex emotions to navigate when humans delegate to AI. But here's where it’ll get tougher: - What happens when digital workers become capable enough to delegate work back to humans? - How do we ensure our human teams feel empowered, not replaced, by their digital colleagues? - How do we design workflows where both strengths are amplified? Leadership in this new type of hybrid world is about to profoundly change. I'm 80% excited, 20% terrified. Which pretty much sums up my entire take on our AI-Forward future. #AIForward #DigitalWorkers

The career ladder just snapped in half - here's how to climb without it...   Aneesh Raman's recent piece for NY Times confirms what many of us in recruitment have been observing: AI is systematically eliminating entry-level positions across industries.   But there's a critical element missing from this conversation.   Those "bottom rung" jobs weren't just paychecks - they were professional boot camps that taught fundamental workplace skills, built confidence, and created career momentum.   Without this traditional foundation, professionals need to completely reimagine how career development works.   The New Career Playbook:   Instead of waiting for the next assignment, start thinking strategically about business problems and solutions from day one.   Rather than simply performing tasks well, focus on building a professional brand that demonstrates unique value and perspective.   Learn to leverage AI as an accelerator for your capabilities rather than viewing it as a threat to your relevance.   Develop the power skills that remain uniquely human: nuanced communication, adaptive thinking, and strategic judgment.   Create visibility both within your organization and across your industry through consistent value demonstration.   Take ownership of your professional narrative rather than letting others define your worth and potential.   The fundamental shift is this: the new workplace rewards output and impact over tenure and titles.   Without traditional entry-level roles to provide gradual skill building, professionals must become self-directed strategists immediately.   This isn't just about surviving technological change - it's about thriving in an environment where relevance matters more than rank.   How are you adapting your approach to career development in this shifting landscape?   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   CC: Raman, Aneesh. “I’m a LinkedIn Executive. I See the Bottom Rung of the Career Ladder Breaking.” The New York Times, 19 May 2024,   https://lnkd.in/eBYgTaRd   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #ai #careerladder #futureofwork #careerstrategist