3 Ways to Make Sure AI Doesn’t Take Your Job

According to a research center at IBM, 40% of the workforce will need “retraining” in the next few years. You might have already guessed: it is AI that is bringing such a big change. We can be horrified by this news (1.4 billion people with the wrong skills), or we can step back and think that maybe the way we work is overdue for a change.

I am optimistic about the ongoing “Great Reinvention” because I know it will not be just a lucky few who have the opportunity to remake themselves. The development of AI skills is not limited to those with engineering degrees or technical knowledge. We will all be forced to reinvent ourselves in the workplace in the coming years, and there is an opportunity for more exciting roles to emerge.

I’ve seen that change up close as a CEO in the industry at the forefront of AI disruption: customer service. Agents around the world are feeling the impact in their operations. But many use this time as a jumping off point, an impetus to rethink their careers.

Looking beyond AI concerns

I know that obsolescence concerns are widespread and increasing. Gallup reports that 22% of us live with that fear. As the founder of a customer service AI platform, I see that concern firsthand in the companies we work with as people struggle to redefine themselves in a rapidly changing field. But as a one-time customer service agent myself, I also understand that these employees have ideas and skills that have never been tapped.

I’m reminded of a famous mistake people made when ATMs came out in the 1980s. Everyone thought it would be the end of bank tellers, but, in fact, the role of bank tellers was reimagined to focus on sales and interpersonal skills, and the number of bank teller jobs actually increased. Accordingly, recent reports suggest that AI may create more jobs than it destroys.

Therefore, if we can move beyond our concerns, “Good Re-Skilling” becomes a real opportunity for a generation to find new ways of meaningful work. Many of us have been hungry for such a change since the pandemic improved office life. This can be a time when new roles and new alignments begin to form.

When there is a desire to rework, automation becomes the beginning, not the end.

What skills should you pursue?

To ensure you have a role in an AI-driven company (that is, any company of the future), there are a few skills you can double-click right now.

1. Learn to manage an AI agent

Soon, almost every employee will be a boss with their own team of AI agents. Those who demonstrate that they are adept at augmenting their AI counterparts – in everything from task management to content creation and customer support – will quickly set themselves apart. Ultimately, managing an AI agent is much the same as managing any employee effectively: You need to train them in key skills, monitor performance, use teachable moments and finally, learn to let go and empower.

2. Improve your data knowledge

Those who are able to navigate large data sets, use data visualization tools, and marshal data to augment AI tools will be valuable partners. Remember: AI depends on a lot of details. By becoming a data assistant — one who can’t be bothered with data sets but translates them into usable resources for the team — you put yourself at the heart of that process.

3. Focus on your personality

Assess your current role and honestly decide which aspects can be automated and which can’t. Iterate on your personal technology. Never question the importance of group motivation, for example, or strategizing about an untapped market. It may even be “soft” skills like your emotional intelligence and behavioral awareness that set you apart. Highlighting your personal value turns you into an irreplaceable person.

Driving ‘Great Innovation’ forward

So, what can companies and people do to seize this moment rather than being caught by it? I’ve seen too many businesses cut staff after rolling out AI – eager for a quick burst. For me, this can be a misunderstanding and often backfires.

Progressive companies, in contrast, are taking the benefits that AI brings and reinvesting in their people. Some have called this the “agenda of abundance” where the benefit of AI allows a company’s power to grow overnight – and the only cost is to train everyone to use AI.

As workers are retrained, they will take on new, enhanced roles—possibly roles that are still being defined. Others will manage dozens of agents, aligning themselves with corporate goals while enjoying superhuman influence. Others will focus on designing the behavior of individual AI agents, becoming “rapid engineers,” “AI personality designers,” and “AI ethicists.”

I love telling the story of a young woman named Meagan who started her career as a top customer service agent at a financial services company and now has a job that didn’t exist a year ago: she trains the go-getter team. AI ambassadors. For Meagan, familiarity with AI (along with a willingness to rethink her role) has been the fuel for the career jet. He has risen and is now recognized as an AI expert by company leadership and other departments. His experience is a symbol of the opportunities that await us all.

I think it’s also important to understand that there’s no need to wait for a signal from the powers that be to restart your AI capabilities. As with any disruptive new technology (personal computers, the Internet, mobile technology), the best way to gain experience with AI is to get our hands dirty and just start using these tools. Unlike previous technologies, understanding of coding or engineering degree is not required.

In fact, some of the biggest advances in integrating AI into the workplace have been made by people with non-technical backgrounds. If you can use ChatGPT to make a food plan or release fan fiction, you can use it to do your job better.

The next few years will be very disruptive in almost every field, and no one knows exactly where the chips will fall. But here’s what I do know: it’s the person who adopts AI who will own the job market of tomorrow, not AI itself. Meeting our AI future with curiosity and a willingness to expand our capabilities is the way to thrive in uncertain times.