🆓 Is AI Going to Take My Job?
It's natural to feel like you're being pushed out of the tech world. It's true: AI can do a lot of the boring stuff we used to do, but I like to focus on the word "boring". It's kind of nice to not be bored, isn't it?
We're seeing this play out in real time as of the writing of this workshop (Summer, 2025). I lost my job, in part, because Microsoft is trimming its workforce as the result of what Copilot can do internally.
Did Copilot replace me? I'd like to think not. I was doing very good work, creating workshops like this one and videos on YouTube that were well-received.
Did Copilot allow my colleagues to do 3 times more with their day? Yes. And with that power, you simply don't need that many people on the team. Why I was chosen vs. my colleagues that stayed is something I'll never know; either way, this kind of thing makes sense for a company the size of Microsoft.
For smaller companies, it's the opposite. Bring in the people and have them do 3 months of work in only 1. Get to market faster, pivot, upgrade, and build out your product in record time. Why would you skimp on talent when you can enable them to be far more efficient and productive?
AI tools offer mediocre answers by design, given that they are probabilistic and will tend to go with the most likely answer, which is usually the pattern it's seen most often as an answer for your problem In short: it can't be inspired to create something amazing based on the idea in your head.
My point with this is that, as humans, we're able to make conceptual leaps that AI simply cannot. It can appear to do that, of course, but at the end of the day it's a machine that is repeating back to us what we've told it. That, by definition, makes it less than human.
Of course there will be businesses that try to do everything with AI. They'll probably succeed to some level. The real breakthrough will come when a new business fully leverages AI together with human experience and creative inspiration.
That, right there, is the sweet spot. So no, you can't be replaced, but less scrupulous people will try. Big Corporations might try this experiment as well as they try to "trim the fat" (which there is a lot of, typically), but AI won't be "taking your job", your boss will. These are the same people who constantly believe you can be replaced by someone cheaper and younger, and will actively keep looking for that person.
Choosing the right places to work, the right people to work for, which is the same as it's always been. The job is changing, and it means we need to be ready to use the tools that are quickly taking over.
Your journey is just beginning. Good luck to you!