Why AI Isn’t Your Enemy – The Art of Staying Relevant in an AI-Powered World

"The great secret of our time is that we are becoming more and more dependent on machines, but it is a dependence that will make us better people in the long run." – Isaac Asimov

You hear me say this all the time, "We live in a time when AI seems to be everywhere. From self-driving cars to chatbots answering customer service inquiries, it feels like machines are rapidly taking over every aspect of our lives. And naturally, this creates anxiety. Will robots replace us? Will AI make human workers obsolete?"

But here’s the thing: AI isn’t your enemy, and if you view it as such and "resist", you may find that it may be something to blame in your career journey. However, it's better to see AI as the ultimate partner in your quest to evolve, learn, and work in smarter, more impactful ways. Instead of fearing obsolescence, let’s reframe the conversation: AI isn’t here to replace you. It’s here to help you reinvent how you work—and how you contribute to the world.

The Myth of Replacement vs. the Reality of Reinvention

Many people still think of AI as an unstoppable force that will eventually take over every job. Let’s put that myth to rest. The truth is, AI is great at repetitive, data-heavy tasks, but it’s not so good at things like empathy, creativity, or complex decision-making. Think about it—how many of us really enjoy the grunt work of inputting data, processing spreadsheets, or endlessly searching for information? These tasks take up so much of our time and energy, and in the end, they don’t move the needle on the bigger picture of what we could be doing with our time.

However, I do think it's important to acknowledge that AI will lead to job displacement in certain sectors. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, by 2025, AI is expected to displace 75 million jobs globally, but it will also create 133 million new jobs, resulting in a net gain of 58 million jobs. This means that while some roles will become obsolete, many new opportunities will emerge, especially in areas requiring human-centric skills. (Source: World Economic Forum)

In the United States, a 2023 Pew Research Center study found that 19% of American workers are in jobs most exposed to AI, where key activities may be replaced or assisted by AI. Conversely, 23% of workers have jobs least exposed to AI, with the remaining workers having varying levels of exposure. (Pew Research Center)

These statistics highlight the need for proactive adaptation. By embracing AI and focusing on developing skills that machines can't replicate—such as emotional intelligence, creativity, and complex problem-solving—you can position yourself to thrive in this evolving landscape. One actionable way to do this is by investing in your education and skills. For example, LinkedIn Learning offers courses on AI tools that can help you build AI fluency and integrate these technologies into your workflow. Here's a short list of some titles you could start today if you have a LI Learning account:

• AI For Everyone - Learn the basics of AI and its applications.
• Artificial Intelligence in Business - Discover how to use AI to enhance business strategies.
• Deep Learning for Business - Focus on applying deep learning to business solutions.
• AI-Powered Analytics - Explore how AI can improve data analysis for decision-making.
• Using AI for Project Management - Learn how to integrate AI into your project management practices.

The True Power of AI: Helping You Be More Human

Here’s where the real magic happens: AI helps you be more human. Let’s break this down:

• AI Gives You Time to Focus on What Matters: If AI handles the repetitive tasks, you get to focus on building relationships, collaborating with others, and strategizing. As a result, you spend more time working on your core strengths, like problem-solving, leadership, and creativity, which are the qualities that truly set humans apart from machines. In L&D, I encourage my Instructional Designers to look more toward the "experience" they are developing as they work with AI to establish the "instructional parameters". AI is great for organizing content, and data, and even working with you to frame messaging in multiple different ways. But, only you can understand the human needs of your coworkers.
• AI Helps You Reinvent Your Career Path: By offloading low-level work to AI, you can evolve into a “chief problem solver.” Instead of dealing with routine tasks, you’ll be analyzing data, formulating strategies, or even leading initiatives that require human insight. The ability to reinvent yourself and pivot toward more high-value tasks is what will make you irreplaceable, even as AI becomes more prominent in the workplace. At one State organization I consulted for, the employees were moving from managing 5 cases a day to 15 due to a modern CRM implementation (moving from late 70s to the 2010s tech - you would have thought they would have been happy. But, at first, that sounds awful, and they wholeheartedly rebelled at the initial concept of handling more cases per day. However, once they saw how expedient the system made their job, and how many manual tasks that were overtly time-consuming before, they realized that their jobs would actually be less menial and they would actually have more time to engage with more clients within the new system.
• AI Enhances Your Personal Development: When AI takes over the menial tasks, you’ll have more room to engage in personal growth. Imagine being able to dedicate time to learning new skills, improving your emotional intelligence, or simply being more present with your loved ones. In this way, AI helps us create more balanced lives, giving us the freedom to focus on what truly brings us fulfillment. Figure out how to have AI give you learning reminders on a daily cadence you will build good collaborative habits that help you organize your life better and make more healthy commitments.

Taking Action: How to Stay Relevant in an AI-Powered World

Now that we’ve established the potential benefits of AI, let’s talk about how to take action. Here are a few steps you can start implementing today:

• Embrace Continuous Learning: The future of work is all about upskilling. Find ways to stay ahead of the curve by learning about AI tools in your field. Whether it’s using AI for data analysis, project management, or design, learning how these tools work will help you stay relevant. (Pro tip: Start with platforms like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning for AI courses that can be tailored to your industry. (Coursera, LinkedIn Learning) I would suggest that today take a look at the work you do and start creatively considering all the aspects of what you do that could be taken over by AI. Then, be a leader in process change. Understand why those changes are necessary, and then identify how with out you doing them, you will or can still be a relevant force in your workplace.
• Focus on Creativity and Emotional Intelligence: Machines can’t do everything. They can’t think outside the box or understand the emotional nuances of a situation. These are the areas where you will thrive. Invest in soft skills like communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence. You’ll not only stay relevant—you’ll become indispensable. Stay tuned on a future writing I will do as to why emotional intelligence will be a tremendous force in employer expectations in the near future.
• Rethink Your Role: AI allows you to become more than just a task-doer. It allows you to be a problem solver. If you’re in a role that involves repetitive tasks, as I said above, start brainstorming ways AI could help you streamline those tasks so you can focus on higher-level problem-solving. Reinvent yourself.

Embrace the Future, and Reinvent Yourself

AI isn’t here to make us obsolete. It’s here to make us better. By relying on AI for routine tasks, we free ourselves up to engage more deeply with our work, our relationships, and our personal development.

As Asimov wisely said: “The only constant is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.”

The future is here, and it’s time to embrace it. Let AI help you become the best version of yourself—because when you reinvent the way you work, you reinvent your future.