How to Prepare for AI-Driven Job Changes

Last night I was involved in a panel discussion hosted by Brian Garr on the future of work with #genai. One of the questions was about what workers should do to prepare for the future. Here are a few of my thoughts: 1. Develop specialist knowledge. Generalists are more likely to be replaced. Specialists will be able to use generative AI as a tool and will have the knowledge to correct for its deficiencies, knowledge that generalists are not likely to have 2. Generative AI needs to be understood from a risk management perspective. What is the risk that comes from mistakes (hallucinations, misunderstandings, knowledge gaps)? For cases where that risk is high, humans will be vital. So you need to figure out what you do that requires human intervention and focus on those things where you add value. 3. Learn to use GenAI. Individuals who can work with GenAI stand to fare better than those who avoid it. Not everyone needs to chase the $300K+/year prompt engineer jobs we keep hearing about. But translators, for instance, who can deploy GenAI, will have more to offer than those who cannot. 4. Identify what you offer. What do you do that a ten-word summary of your position cannot cover? For example, localization specialists do far more than translate, but if they cannot articulate what they do beyond that, the bean counters will want to replace them. So you need to have a compelling statement of what you contribute to your employer that cannot be easily replaced At the end of the day, GenAI is being oversold in many circles and you need to be prepared to counter hype with actual knowledge and skills. AI can mean the end for you, but only if you insist on sticking with the past rather than looking for opportunities with the technology. And if you really don’t want to use it, specialization will be even more crucial for you, as you need to make yourself truly indispensable.

I moved to Switzerland when I was 9. I didn’t speak the language. I didn’t fit in. I still remember the first time I got my schoolwork back: completely covered in a sea of red marks. I wasn’t just behind—I was drowning. The entire class was taught in German, and I couldn’t understand a word. Here’s the kicker: I knew this was coming. I had a year to prepare. I even had the chance to take German classes. But I didn’t take them seriously. That decision caught up to me—fast. So I had to learn the hard way. After-school tutoring with Fraulein Bühler, sitting next to my South African expat friend Rui. Day after day, mistake after mistake. By the end of the year, something incredible happened. When we boarded our flight back to the U.S., the Swiss Air flight attendant greeted me in German—assuming I was Swiss. I  spoke fluent German, the national language of Switzerland. And between my freshly cut Euro-style haircut and boxy backpack, I looked the part too. She turned to my parents—sitting right next to me—and spoke to them in English. I didn’t just learn the language. I had adapted and learned the local culture. But it could’ve been easier—if I had acted sooner. We’re in a similar moment now. ➡️ AI is changing how we work ➡️ Roles are evolving overnight ➡️ Skills that mattered last year may be irrelevant next year You can’t prepare for every disruption. But you can avoid getting blindsided by the ones you see coming. One of the most practical tools I use—with myself and with clients—is something I call a Skills Audit. It’s a simple but powerful way to make sure you’re building the skills you’ll need—not just for your current role, but for whatever’s coming next. Here’s how it works: 1️⃣ List Your Core Skills Write down 5–7 skills you rely on most to succeed in your role. Think: facilitating meetings, database design, client prospecting, managing projects. 2️⃣ Rate Future Relevance (1–10) Will each skill become more important—or less—in the next 1–3 years? Be honest about what’s gaining traction and what might be losing value. 3️⃣ Spot the Gaps Where are you falling behind or starting to feel stretched? Think about areas like public speaking, strategic thinking, or leading through change. 4️⃣ Identify What’s Emerging What new skills are becoming must-haves in your field or company? Examples: AI tools, data storytelling, hybrid team leadership, or personal branding. 5️⃣ Take One Step This Week Pick one micro-action to move forward—no perfection needed. Block 30 minutes, talk to someone who is ahead of you in a specific skill, or sign up for a free course. The Bottom Line: 💡 Awareness is step one. ⚡ But action is what keeps you relevant.

Recently, a CIO from insurance company reached out to me, trying to solve the problem of raining questions about AI like “AI is here to take our jobs”, “We won’t use it”, “You’re just training it so you can replace us” Sound familiar? It’s funny because 71% of BFSI CIOs are ramping up generative AI use to improve employee productivity but over 56% of them fail because of low adoption. Employee concerns about job security, skill gaps, and ethical implications can significantly impede AI adoption and effectiveness. Here’s a Strategic Approach to harness AI's full potential & put focus on your teams: ⭐ Transparent Communication: Address AI's role openly, emphasizing augmentation over replacement. ⭐Comprehensive Education: Implement training programs covering AI basics, specific applications, and ethical considerations. ⭐Skill Development: Identify and bridge gaps in AI tool proficiency. Alternatively, find tools that have low or zero learning curve and no-code to encourage employees to try it out. ⭐Ethical Framework: Develop and promote AI ethics guidelines to ensure responsible implementation. Make it available to all teams to review and comment on. ⭐Trust Building: Create feedback mechanisms for employees to contribute to AI development and deployment. ⭐Leadership by Example: Actively engage with AI initiatives, aligning them with organizational goals. With this people-centric approach, I was able to work with CIOs drive almost 100% AI adoption for our use case with Alltius in BFSI companies. This not only addresses immediate concerns but also positions our organizations for long-term success in the AI-driven future of finance. What strategies are you employing to prepare your team for AI integration?

Want to future-proof your career and start leveraging AI? Here's how I did it, ranked from easiest to most ambitious: 1️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 • 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗: https://lnkd.in/eT-nzYP9 I recommend Heather Murray 's AI for Non-Techies Newsletter. It's a fun treasure trove of useful information. • 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗨𝗦𝗘: AI (Generative AI especially) is not infallible. Learn about the mistakes it can make, the issues it can cause, and how to navigate them. • 𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 (𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸): For $15/mo, Canva is an amazing option because you can test alot of current capabilities. For $20/mo, Microsoft Copilot Pro can be added to your Office 365 account. Also for $20/mo, Google offers AI premium for your workspace (GMail, Docs, Sheets, etc). 2️⃣ 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗜-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀. If your company offers access to AI tools, get access and use them according to their use policy. If not, create sample scenarios at home and practice. 3️⃣ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Share that you're interested in learning more in your field. Ask if coworkers or your LinkedIn network if anyone incorporated AI into their work. Offer to continue to learn together. 4️⃣ 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. There's no shortage of free webinars, conferences, etc. talking about AI. Get involved. 5️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱. Professional organizations and technology vendors offer lots of free training for specific use cases. 6️⃣ 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁. Talk to your manager about opportunities. Make it one of your professional goals to stand out. If they aren't there, contact your professional or volunteer organizations. 7️⃣ 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Use what you've learned to pitch an opportunity to create value at your company, your professional, or your volunteer organizations. Do these make sense for you? How are you going about it? #artificialintelligence #innovation #changemanagement #technology #digitaltransformation

How to Create Personal AI Road Map: Overcome Fear of #AI So many people have been worried that AI will take their jobs or wipe out their professions. Since AI became so popular, in leading sessions with teams & employability sessions with university students and job seekers, I always say that AI will not replace anyone; it is people who know how to use AI that will replace people who are ignorant. While speaking with someone a few days ago, I said the best way out for you is to create a personal AI roadmap. If you run a business, create an AI roadmap for your business. The truth is anyone or any business not doing this will be left behind. AI is already and will continue to be a major driver. Being passive about it will lead to chaos in a few weeks, months, and years. I told someone, do not be worried about AI; develop foresight and proactive actions about AI. Worry will not change anything, but learning, unlearning, and relearning will change so much and position you for better success. Here is a personal AI sample road map I suggest for you reading this; Step 1: Understand AI Basics Learn the Fundamentals: Start with online courses, articles, and videos to understand what AI is and how it works.  Key Concepts: Focus on basic concepts like machine learning, neural networks, and data science. Step 2: Identify Relevant AI Tools Research AI Tools: Identify AI tools and applications relevant to your field. For example, marketers can explore tools like chatbots and predictive analytics, while designers might look into AI-driven design software. Stay Updated: Follow AI news and updates through tech blogs, newsletters, and podcasts. Step 3: Develop Practical Skills Hands-On Practice: Engage with practical AI applications.  Projects and Challenges: Participate in AI projects or challenges on websites like GitHub or competitions on Kaggle to build real-world experience. Step 4: Integrate AI into Your Work Apply AI Solutions: Start integrating AI tools into your daily work. For instance, use AI for automating repetitive tasks, improving customer service, or analyzing data trends. Experiment and Adapt: Test different AI tools and methods, and adapt them to fit your needs and enhance productivity. Step 5: Continuous Learning and Networking Join AI Communities: Become part of AI communities and forums like LinkedIn groups. Networking with professionals can provide insights and opportunities. Ongoing Education: Regularly update your knowledge with advanced courses and certifications. Attend webinars, workshops, and conferences to stay informed about the latest AI advancements. Having the right foundation in AI will not happen overnight. Follow the above roadmap, and give yourself time. Now, get to work.   Any questions for me? Blessings Dr. Joybert Javnyuy #Innovation #Future #Entrepreneurship #Careers #Startups #India #20daylinkedinchallengewithhaoma #linkedinacceleratorwithlynn

Over time, AI is going to change nearly every job. For teams and businesses to be successful in an AI-driven world, employees need to be ready. The central question business leaders should be asking is: how can I prepare myself and my workforce for AI? The answer to how humans can stay relevant in an AI-driven world is both simple and profound: we need to become more human. But how do we do that? I see 3 key steps. First, we need to identify the things that are quintessentially human. Things like vision, wisdom, empathy, integrity, and courage. These qualities are not only unlikely to be mastered by #AI any time soon, but they will add incredible value to the work that AI will be able to do in the future. But we also need to rethink our approach to these qualities. We often think about what it means to be human in terms of immutable traits. For instance, a person is born curious, or empathetic, or courageous, or they're not. But what if we viewed these attributes not as traits to be inherited, but as skills to be developed?  So second, business leaders need to implement programs that #reskill their employees in these core human qualities, teaching them how to become even more visionary, wise, empathetic, honorable, and courageous. For instance, at Mineral, part of Mitratech, we implemented a Futures Team to develop our visionary skills, and a training program to develop our individual and collective emotional intelligence. Each of these attributes can be developed in people and organizations, and will make what we can do with AI that much more impactful. And third, businesses need to reward these qualities, through professional recognition, advancement, etc. That way their leaders and teams are incentivized to invest in them. I see companies spending a lot of time right now trying to increase their #artificialintelligence. That’s important, but let’s work just as hard to increase our human intelligence. It’s the combination of both that will create long-term competitive advantages, both for our businesses and our people.

With the constant stream of AI updates, announcements, analyses, and 'cheat sheets,' it's easy to feel overwhelmed and confused. The fear of missing out on AI adoption is real. Here's the thing, though - AI adoption does not require you to be an AI expert. It does, however, require you to have a deep understanding of your processes and your domain. Here is a framework that I've been following to adopt AI in my role: a) Understand your work success metrics thoroughly. What are the key goals and KPIs you need to hit to keep moving forward? For example, in sales, closing deals is probably the most important KPI. b) Identify some of the biggest challenges you face that prevent you from achieving those goals. Write these down for clarity. E.g., preparing well for a 30-minute prospect meeting. c) Get granular, break down those challenges further, and identify the core issues. d) Once you break down the challenges, create hypotheses about where AI can help, e.g., prospect and persona research and their role in the company's growth. e) Once you've reached this point, experiment with tools (like GPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.) to get the best possible output for the challenges you identified. This will require some prompting and tweaking. f) Repeat this step across multiple instances to see the correlation. Observe and, if possible, quantify the impact. g) Finally, collate the results and create a map of areas where AI can have the most impact in your role. Very highly likely that you don't need every new tool/feature out there to get there. Focus on the outcome, and the tool will follow.

If you want to be replaced by AI, do your job. - Clock in at 9, clock out at 5.  - Do what's expected of you and nothing more.  - Focus on fulfilling your tasks instead of automating them. Because who needs a human with complicated emotions, varying levels of energy, and a penchant for mistake-making when I can get AI to do the job for me fuss-free? I'm not being patronizing; I'm being realistic. We all need to realize that technology will replace elements of our jobs. And that is a wonderful thing! I am so excited about AI because it's going to replace the mundane, robotic tasks that no one wants to do... but it can never replace humans. Because humans can think, can feel, can connect. And the more tasks that are delegated to AI, the more space humans have to do those things - and the better our world will be. So if you don't want to be replaced, make yourself irreplaceable. 1. Be results-oriented. Employers don't value task-doing (because we're not robots); they value the outcome of those tasks. 2. Learn how to use AI, don't let it use you. Find pockets of mundane work that AI can do for you. Calendar scheduling, advertising copy optimization sales emails - all can be automated, personalised AND leverage AI to personalize the experience for the end user. 3. Use AI to buy back time for you to THINK. The one thing that AI can't do is think. It can learn from the things that you put into it... but it can't think. So leverage AI to automate the stuff you're doing and free up some of that time to think strategically and find creative ideas for complex problems - become an ASSET, not a cog. Let AI handle the day-to-day tick-off tasks so you can really become the best at what you do without distractions. If you are nervous about the AI revolution, don't be. Because as long as you focus on leveraging your HUMAN you'll always have value to an employer.

It's the first day of 2024. So why am I already stressed out? Because we're at a dangerous inflection point in the creator economy. AI will continue to improve and, trained on all of the work wonderful creators have done in the past, will steal much attention and replace a lot of jobs (editors, writers, even talent). This isn't just a creator economy problem. This will touch most industries. So how am I working through my anxiety productively? 🧠 I'm learning everything I can about AI. I started a newsletter to force me to try new products. I'm taking the free Google classes. I'm talking to a lot of folks way smarter than I am in AI. AI will replace a lot of jobs, but not all of them. I'll future-proof myself by learning how to control the beast. 📈 Improving my soft skills. Robots can replace my writing, but they can't replace my interpersonal communication, empathy, or teamwork skills. 🤝 Re-dedicating myself to networking with humans. The more people know and trust your work, the more opportunity will find you. 😎 Adopting an abundance mindset. It's a little 'woo-woo', but remembering there's a big world out there full of fascinating challenges that would be a joy to solve throughout the rest of my career puts me at ease. 🤓 Doubling-down on my brand. What's the best way to be generous with my knowledge and experience so I stay top-of-mind for brands, publishers, creators, and platforms? AI isn't going away and it will change the way you work. How are you preparing? #ai #creatoreconomy #personalbrand

Are your skills still valuable once AI is in the picture? Unfortunately, not always. When your tasks change, skill requirements do too. From the 90+ case studies analyzed & shared in an OECD paper, I learned 3 key ways job skills change. 1) New skill requirements. ↳ You may need to learn new skills (or reskill). 2) Greater reliance on your existing skills. ↳ Your expertise & human skills are more valuable. 3) Some skills become redundant. ↳ If AI can do it, you may not need to. Here's how I'm preparing for an AI-driven future: 1) Reflecting often. ↳ I try to reflect on my existing strengths, skill gaps, and career plans. I also consider how AI might factor in. 2) Learning from (and with) others. ↳ I love to hear other's experiences in their roles, what they think may be coming, and how they're preparing. 3) Continuously learning. ↳ I'm regularly looking for opportunities to explore, learn, & practice new skills. ahead. We don't need to fear change if we prepare. P.S. How do you prepare for job skill requirements changing?