AI is out to replace you and how to work with it

I’m tired of hearing the tired, modern trope of ‘AI won’t replace you, but someone who knows how to use AI might.’??

The pretzel logic that AI doesn’t threaten your job is false for three reasons:

-It’s an effective threat to get on the bandwagon

-The person using AI can easily be you, and someone else is going to lose their job instead

-The statement assumes that there is a 1:1 relationship between those who know how to use AI and those who don’t

All aboard the bandwagon

Let’s take the statement in two parts: 1) AI won’t replace you, and 2) someone who knows how to use AI might.

It won’t replace you…

Maybe not today, but rest assured that the industry is looking at doing so across multiple verticals.

When AI was implemented for narrow use cases in the first widespread use of the technology in the mid-2010s, it found direct application in Customer Service. The call center industry, not a particular high-job satisfaction sector, was significantly impacted. If you look at Y Combinator companies and other disruptive voice/agent-based offerings, you can’t ignore Customer Service and the use of automation.

….Someone who knows how to use AI might.

You had better not be the person who ignores how it will impact your competitiveness in the marketplace. This is a threat more than a promise. I’m confident that many deals to use LLMs were converted based on the promise that a) staff will thank you, b) staff will use it, c) you will become more efficient. I’m also confident that many companies are waking up to not seeing the ROI on those subscriptions.

If you ignore AI, don’t be mad at anyone other than yourself, as you were indirectly warned by titans of industry who also happened to be selling your company AI.?

Is it just that easy?

An LLM is one of the easiest methods by which you can interact with a machine. AI isn’t magic, but we humans are predictable, and AI is architected to predict the answer we are looking for. So, it often feels impossibly intelligent. Until it makes a mistake.?

AI learns over time, so it’s only going to improve. The AI we interact with today is the worst AI experience we will ever have. But it’s the most human technology imaginable, so sometimes it makes mistakes. Working with AI is more straightforward than working with humans–it works much faster but still requires patience.??

Learning to utilize AI isn’t as easy as figuring out how to prompt Chat GPT, Claude, Deep Seek, or whatever will come next. Getting AI to take the drudgery out of your daily life, automating the parts of your job that you don’t enjoy…might be more complex than typing into a chat window. It likely is, as scaling outcomes often require humans to make business decisions.

Over-reliance on LLMs can result in scaling of bias and incorrect data. Humans must be more than ‘in the loop’ to maintain efficacy.

Workforce Replacement Ratio?

If AI is about increased efficiency, then, in theory, it will make you more capable of doing more things faster. If you can deliver more output with higher quality, then you are effectively doing more than you were before using AI. If this is the case, your company no longer needs your peer. Why?

Because the OTE of an employee is more than their salary. Factor in benefits, bonuses, HR costs, and non-monetary compensation. If one person can achieve 1.5-2x output, why wouldn’t you downsize and achieve higher operational effectiveness? Some argue that AI will propel company growth to offset efficiency gains and that staff will re-skill into other roles. I haven’t seen or heard of that happening.

Furthermore, the pivot to ‘AI will create new jobs that we haven’t imagined yet’ is a weak dodge. New jobs don’t manifest without need or quantifiable business value—which doesn’t happen overnight. Oh, and those new jobs are going to highly skilled individuals, increasing an income and skills gap.?

The workforce disruption from AI will outpace job creation. ?

A Playbook for Silver Linings?

If that last pull quote hurts, it just means you are paying attention. It’s not all bad news, I promise.

Companies aren’t seeing immediate ROI on the use of AI. Many organizations treated AI, specifically using LLMs, in a manner consistent with other SAAS offerings. Leadership didn’t provide training/enablement on the tool, told everyone to utilize it, and may not have used it themselves.

I recently saw a statistic that less than 20% of AI-related efforts in 2024 made it to production. This is a black eye on a space already seen as having a bubble. Mixed metaphors aside, you have time to determine what AI can do for you. I’m proposing that the industry have an honest conversation about the topic.?

Let's be honest about AI: It’s here to take (at least) part of your job.??

If you are considered a subject matter expert or highly skilled laborer, AI is coming to scale your knowledge or increase your capacity. Specialized expertise is informed by experience, much of which cannot be replicated by a machine.

These jobs are rare. If you aren’t an expert at anything other than being an effective generalist, it might be time to learn how to use modern technology better–which shouldn’t be a new part of your job.

Gyroscope can help. We specialize in identifying opportunities to leverage automation to achieve business outcomes. Sometimes, our work involves LLMs or Agents, yet we recognize the opportunity for better business processes and the ability to orchestrate simple automation. Often, a prospect benefits from training and education on how to leverage the tools that have been made available.?

If you are ready to use AI, invested in AI, and didn’t see an outcome, or want to scale the use of tools inside your organization (without losing your culture), drop us a line. We recognize the pressure and are here to support.?