It seems AI is the alpha and omega of small talk lately. Everybody’s talking about their experiences or perceptions around the tech, and the variety of AI solutions being tested out by curious users is increasing at an impressive rate. Anecdotally, I remember being shocked when a group of my friends went for learning about ChatGPT’s web search capability to comparing GPT4 and Claude in a matter of a few weeks. 

This lightning fast pace of evolution might be thrilling for some and deeply concerning for others. We’ve already seen stories of folks being pushed out as their roles got replaced partially or completely by AI. This trend will only catch more momentum as more and more businesses realize the cost-saving implications of AI automation solutions. 

There are already a plethora of YouTube videos and blog posts that talk about absolutely critical skills that’s related to AI. However, I haven’t seen as many content that talks about what you can be doing in your current role to AI-proof yourself. 

In this post, I want to share some of my observations and my tactics to maintain my position as a relevant and value-adding team member. 

AI is the new shiny thing on the market and like many shiny things of the past have done, I think it has the potential to steal the focus from the most important stakeholder: Us. We as humans are who will always be at the beginning and end of any business transaction. Losing sight of this will be the quickest way to lose all of the potential value that you or your business could offer. 

Just think about how many robot calls, AI chatbots, or automated text messages you’ve found to be truly engaging and satisfactory. I’m a huge proponent of leveraging AI wherever and whenever you can, but I too can’t get past a few interactions if there isn’t a human on the other side. Despite all the latest advancements of generative AI, customers can usually tell if something is artificial or not very quickly and accurately. And at least at the current state, no AI solution is truly capable of understanding the needs or wants of your customers, including your boss.    

So when I sit in the service provider seat, I make sure that all of my deliverables feel as human and personable as possible. Here’s my general rule of thumb.

If the next set of eyes on this deliverable is my client’s, then my eyes should be the last ones on it before sending. 

This applies to emails, slide decks, documents, products, or even live product demos. AI can help with any steps before the final draft but even it did a phenomenal job, I make sure that it feels human, and most importantly, me. After all, no solution or product can be held accountable for the outcomes but me. 

The biggest limitation of any AI solution is that it’s in a box that’s shelved in a cloud server. Sure it can be linked up with various systems and kept running in real time to automate or run analytics but it’s definitely not “human” enough to understand the full business context.

The second limitation of AI is that even with the rise of Agentic AI (read more about it here) which provides it with more robust capabilities, it is still limited to a somewhat passive role where it is dependent on a defined trigger event.

If you are working in a company as an employee or are running your own show, you probably understand how many moving pieces need to be aligned perfectly on a daily basis to make sure that the customers are getting what they’re promised. These moving pieces evolve weekly, daily, or these days, nearly hourly due to internal and external forces, putting significant stress on everyone’s availability. AI solutions and agents are often adopted in attempts to alleviate the repetitive tasks so the human staff can focus on generating value for the business.  

As such, I’m trying to make sure that I don’t get confined into either of the descriptions used for an AI agent: passive and isolated. If I limit my role to be reactive, delivering what I’m told following a set of predefined guidelines, I’m probably dangerously close to the chopping block.  

So in an effort to make sure that I am bringing value to the table, I’m trying to proactively find opportunities for the company (i.e. sales, team development, training, etc.) and take initiative to throw the first pitches. Some might stick and some might not, but as long as I’m sticking 1 more than what an AI bot can, then I’m considering it a win. 

If history repeats itself (and I think it will), the current hype around AI will evolve into one of the following things:

In my short decade of experience in the industry, I’ve already seen a handful of examples that I could fit into one or more of those categories: big data, predictive analytics, digital twin, Agile, robotic automation, etc. They’re all still very important topics that have laid the foundations of many business and operational strategies but it’s been a while since I saw any of them come up in a major announcement. 

But I don’t think this reflects diminished value. Instead, I look at it as maturity. It takes some time for business practices to conform to the technical evolutions. Industries like healthcare will require even more time than others. 

I find this to be an opportunity since it means I have some time to learn about the topic and become more proficient in different solutions. Becoming someone that knows the trends and can leverage new tools will always grant an advantage, albeit a small one. Even if I’m not an industry expert or a recognized leader of the topic, in-depth acquaintance has often been enough for me to squeeze a foot into the door that leads to new opportunities and career growth. 

I’m sure there are more things that I can be doing to further improve myself. You might have strategies that’s helped you grow and be successful amidst rapid changes as well. If not, I hope this post was helpful in kick starting some ideas that you could consider adopting for yourself. 

As always, thank you for your engagement and please leave a comment for any thoughts or topics you’d like to see discussed!