Artificial intelligence taking people’s jobs is no longer a just threat on the horizon. In May, 3,900 people were laid off due to the technology, a new report has found; all these job losses happened only in the technology industry.

But, other industries will not be spared. For example, ChatGPT and other LLM tools have already replaced some marketing and social media writers as many companies decide cutting costs is worth the drop in quality that a human can provide.

There’s no doubt about it, generative AI is moving fast. And, the more I use generative AI tools the more obvious it becomes that people using these tools will replace those who don’t; it’s inevitable. Are these tools perfect? No. But, humans aren’t perfect either; humans made these tools for other humans.

These tools will improve as more people use them, and the people using them will also improve if they choose to. The people who mindlessly use these tools will not improve themselves.

The dilemma is if we become overly reliant on these tools and become lazy 🤔 But, this is a topic for another blog post.

I believe that businesses that are prioritizing cutting costs in favor of quality are not seeing the full picture. Let’s take copywriters as an example. Copywriters exist for a reason and they won’t be replaced anytime soon. What you have to understand is these tools make their work more efficient and better because the algorithms behind LLMs are not copywriters.

ChatGPT makes mistakes, it gives biased and incorrect answers (a source of disinformation); so you have to double-check the output. This requires having a human in the loop. Also, the wording it puts out is generic and without personality. As a business owner, do you want your brand to sound generic?

Of course, this won’t stop business owners from using it and prioritizing cutting costs because most businesses are generic; and their owners compete on costs.

Judging from my own use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools, the output it gives is good enough. But, you shouldn’t trust it; be critical of the output. And, I think this is the point I want to make: ChatGPT’s killer app is impressing humans.

Why do I say this?

Because we’re hardwired for easy. And, these tools take away a lot of the grunt work, specifically the thinking. Most people don’t like to think, they don’t like to start with a blank canvas. So, an AI assistant that gives us good enough answers makes it easy to take them as a given.

Does this mean you’re better off not using these tools?

No. These tools definitely help with productivity. But, I think these tools create the illusion of competence for most tasks. And, in a world run by machines, your human touch becomes the ultimate differentiator. Your creativity, empathy, and intuition are irreplaceable. This is why humans need to be kept in the loop.

So, how do you future-proof your career if you don’t want to lose your job?

People will need to be reskilled to overcome the skills gap. Don’t wait for your employer to take the initiative; start now.  Stay informed, learn, and experiment with AI tools. Keep learning and developing because you’re better off being in the loop than not in it.

Bottom line: Artificial intelligence will not replace you. A person using AI will.