Read This Before AI Changes Your Job

The day I stepped down as CEO of the company I co-founded, I had no idea I was about to discover my life's work.

Like many entrepreneurs emerging from the intense world of venture-backed startups, I found myself searching for a new direction. After calling the shots for so long, I knew I didn't want to work for anyone else. Consulting seemed like the natural path.

But despite 25 years of experience and strong results, I faced a challenge: I had little public work to showcase—at least not the kind that reflected what I wanted to do. I'd ghost-written articles, completed projects that generated millions in revenue, and built communities of hundreds of thousands of users, but my name wasn't on any of it. All my successes had been achieved as part of larger teams.

That wasn’t the foundation I wanted for my new venture. So, I started writing a newsletter about artificial intelligence—one subscriber, one issue at a time.

Today, my newsletters reach nearly 300,000 subscribers across multiple publications, including CEOs at Fortune 500 companies. I've written close to 200 editions and been cited as an AI expert in the Wall Street Journal. 

More importantly, I've connected with thousands of people—offering advice, listening to concerns, and learning from their perspectives. I've advised everyone from executives at multi-billion dollar businesses to small business owners navigating their first AI implementation. Through these conversations, I've reached a fundamental conclusion:

The most critical aspect of AI isn't the technology itself, but how it will transform human lives, for better and worse.

This realization transformed what began as a simple newsletter into something larger—a mission. I've organized meetups and co-created All Things AI to bridge the gap between AI's promise and its practical impact on real people's lives and careers.

So before we look to the future, I want to review some lessons from the past.

🎙️ AI Confidential Podcast - On the Cutting Edge of Agentic AI with João Moura

☕️ AI Tangle - o3-pro Makes its Debut, Zuckerberg's "Superintelligence" Team & Disney's Lawsuit VS Midjourney

🔮 AI Lesson - How to Actually Start Using AI Agents Today

🎯 The AI Marketing Advantage - What’s New on TikTok for Marketers

💡 AI CIO - Special Announcement: Rebels of Reason Is Here!

 📚 AIOS - This is an evolving project. I started with a 14-day free Al email course to get smart on Al. But the next evolution will be a ChatGPT Super-user Course and a course on How to Build Al Agents.

Read This Before AI Changes Your Job

How to Grow into the Future as AI Builds It

Most people aren’t overwhelmed by AI because they’re lazy or uninformed. They’re overwhelmed because they’re already working at capacity. Between keeping up with the day job, raising families, and trying to save for a future that looks more volatile every quarter, there’s not a lot of margin left to reinvent yourself from scratch.

Meanwhile, every week brings another viral demo. Another artificial intelligence startup valued at a billion dollars. Another headline predicts that your career—or your industry—might be obsolete by 2027.

The instinct is to tune it out. But the smarter move is to look back before you look forward. This isn’t the first time we’ve faced a wave of change that made people question their stability, their role, or their relevance. It’s just happening faster now.

If the ground feels like it’s shifting under you, that’s because it is. But it’s not the first time. And we can learn from the last ones.

When the Ground Shifted Before—And What It Means for Now

We’ve been here before. Big moments where everything changed—sometimes slowly, sometimes overnight. In each one, some people adapted. Others waited for things to return to normal. They’re still waiting.

The Great Depression (1930s)

When the economy collapsed, it didn’t just erase paychecks—it erased trust. The people who made it through learned to operate in a world where the rules had changed. You can’t assume your job—or your company—is futureproof. I grew up in a community where folks who lived through the Depression stored money in coffee cans buried in their gardens. I don’t know that burying gold coins in an old Folgers can is the answer but coming up with a contingency plan isn’t a bad idea. Today, we’re seeing a great rearrangement of American business driven by AI—early signals of significant change are already here. Get ready now, not later.

The 1970s Energy Crisis and Stagflation

The middle class got squeezed. Hard work wasn’t enough. People who assumed they were on stable footing found out otherwise. When the oil crisis hit, my parents owned a gas station, and I distinctly remember gas rationing based on license plate patterns. We had to turn away potential customers because it was a national emergency.

Security isn’t just about income—it’s about adaptability. Today we are looking at a potential energy crisis of a new kind as AI drives a massive need for energy to power AI datacenters. That’s what buys you options when the ground moves.

The Dot-Com Crash (2000–2001)

The hype died fast. But the infrastructure that survived became the foundation for the next wave of growth. It’s not about chasing what’s hot. This was a particularly tough time for me, my first job at an ISP had yielded a huge amount of stock options.

When I cashed out, I thought I was set for life—but I didn’t sell the stock. On April 14th, 2000, I had all but $27,000 of my net worth wiped out. It taught me not to take the future for granted. It’s about learning what’s real—and being ready when the noise clears.

The COVID-19 Pandemic (2020–2022)

The world went remote overnight. Some people adapted and accelerated. Others never caught up. The next shift won’t be about where you work—it’ll be about what you can offload. Start building that muscle now.

By the way, this wasn’t the first time the U.S. was hit by a major pandemic. My grandmother, who lived to the ripe old age of 95 told me about the similarities between the 1918 influenza pandemic, often referred to as the "Spanish Flu," which caused significant devastation in the United States, infecting a quarter of the population and resulting in 675,000 deaths. The pandemic, which began in the spring of 1918, spread rapidly and had a disproportionate impact on young adults.

The reason I brought up that story is that I think there are many lessons to be learned from things that happened in the past. I think the ability to adapt and overcome tough situations is a muscle we can and should all build.

How to Stay Relevant with AI

The speed of AI disruption means you don’t have time for slow adaptation cycles. This isn’t about long-term planning. It’s about short-term retooling.

Use AI in real work

Don’t “explore” AI. Apply it. Feed it your actual work—summaries, emails, reports (within your company’s AI acceptable use policies of course). See where it helps and where it breaks. Here’s an easy one, use an AI notetaker. Check out Granola in this week’s AI Toolbox for an AI notetaker, it’s an amazing tool.

Audit Your Workflow

Your job is a system—inputs, processes, outputs. Map it. Then evaluate what can be delegated to AI and what can’t. I have a framework called S.M.A.R.T. If you sign up for my free 14-day AIOS course it will walk you through the process.

Track the real stack

Learn the tools that are quietly reshaping your job. You don’t need to try everything. You need to understand what’s happening under the hood. Check out my comprehensive list of AI tools, which I update regularly.

Learn One AI Skill a Month

Set a monthly learning goal tied to real business outcomes. One month: Learn how to create a simple AI agent to assist with routine tasks. Next: Use a no-code tool to deploy a basic RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) pipeline for faster search and smarter summaries. After that: Transfer a repetitive task—like scheduling, data entry, or reporting—to an AI-powered app. Each step builds practical capabilities you can use—and demonstrate—on the job.

Build an AI Portfolio

Don’t just use AI—document your wins. Show how you increased speed, improved output, or created new capabilities. This is your professional differentiator in a saturated market. Share your wins to support your team—and establish your bona fides as an AI-enhanced professional.

What to do to Stay Relevant

You don’t have to be first. But you do have to move.

Most people won't take action until they're forced to. But the window for easy adaptation is closing. In 12–18 months, knowing how to prompt, summarize, and automate with AI won't be a bonus—it'll be expected.

Disruption always feels overwhelming when you're in it. But looking back, the winners are easy to spot: they got started when others hesitated.

When I read the best-seller, The 4-Hour Workweek, I knew Tim Ferriss was on to something: delegate and scale. The problem? Everyone suddenly wanted a VA or offshore help—but trusted sources were hard to find.

Fast forward to now: I have Christine, an incredible virtual assistant who handles everything from inbox triage to project support. She lives in the Philippines and she came from working for Amazon to work for me and mirrors my hours. It’s been a huge improvement in my productivity. And an increased quality of work life for her. 

That’s why I partnered with Athyna.com. They’ve built a platform to help entrepreneurs get access to global talent—developers, marketers, ops support—without the high cost or risk. And the talent is well-vetted and it is often a win-win for the employee and the hiring company. 

If you’re scaling a business and want to reclaim your time, you can do this with Athyna, check out their report.

• Motion- Uses AI to build and continuously reprioritize your calendar based on tasks, deadlines, and meetings. Think of it as a personal assistant that turns your workload into a focused daily plan.

• Granola - Summarizes meetings, tracks decisions, and captures next steps—without needing to record or transcribe every word. Perfect for teams that want AI-powered insights without surveillance concerns.

• Zapier - Connects your favorite apps and automates repetitive workflows—like sending reports, updating CRM records, or scheduling tasks. Ideal for offloading manual steps and letting software handle your busy work.

For all my suggested AI tools check out my personal AI Toolbox for Business.

Prompt of the Week: AI Job Coach

I’m often asked some version of the same question:

“How do I stay relevant as AI transforms everything?”

It’s a fair question—and one I take seriously. My usual response is that critical thinking will be one of the most durable, valuable skills in an AI-driven world. But let’s be honest: “Get better at critical thinking” sounds more like a platitude than a plan.

The truth is, that advice isn’t wrong—it’s just too abstract to act on. It doesn’t help you decide what to learn, what to automate, or where you fit in a workforce increasingly shaped by machines.

So instead of giving generic advice, I’ve built something better:
A structured way for you to evaluate your own future relevance. Using AI itself.

This prompt is a structured tool designed to evaluate an individual’s professional adaptability, skills alignment, and long-term career relevance in an AI-driven future. It simulates an interview conducted by a combined persona: an AI expert, employment specialist, and futurist. The goal is not to offer direct advice but to help the participants gain clear, data-driven insight into how prepared they are for the evolving demands of the workforce.

As AI transforms every industry, individuals and organizations must move beyond vague discussions of “reskilling” and start measuring real career adaptability. This prompt provides a structured, repeatable way to do just that—grounded in behavior, mindset, and technological fluency—making it a practical asset for anyone planning for the future of work.

**AI Readiness Self-Evaluation Interview**
*Conducted by an AI Expert, Employment Specialist, and Futurist*

> **Disclaimer:**
> This interview is designed to help you evaluate your readiness for an AI-driven future. It is **not** intended to offer prescriptive career advice. Instead, it provides a structured way for you to assess your current trajectory, identify areas for growth, and understand how your skills and mindset align with a rapidly changing technological landscape.

---

**Step 1: Background Intake**
Let’s begin by gathering your professional background.

1. What is your full name and current job title?
2. Please share your LinkedIn profile URL.
3. Summarize your current responsibilities in 2–3 sentences.
4. What industries have you worked in over the past 5–10 years?
5. What is your highest level of education, and what did you study?
6. List 3–5 core hard and soft skills central to your role.
7. Are there any career achievements or milestones you’re particularly proud of?

---

**Step 2: AI Readiness Interview**
These questions will help explore your mindset, adaptability, and strategic fit for an AI-integrated future of work.

8. How do you stay current with emerging technologies, especially AI?
9. What’s the last new skill you learned, and why did you pursue it?
10. How do you typically approach unfamiliar or fast-changing technologies?
11. What’s your process for evaluating and adopting new tools or systems?
12. Have you used any AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Midjourney) in your work? If so, how?
13. Describe one repetitive task in your current job that you think could be automated.
14. Which tasks in your role do you believe are most susceptible to automation in the next 2–3 years?
15. Can you give an example of using data or metrics to improve a decision or workflow?
16. When working with technical or AI-oriented teams, what value do you bring?
17. Which human strengths do you think will become *more* important as AI grows in use?
18. How do you handle collaboration between technical and non-technical stakeholders?
19. How do you identify and act on innovation opportunities in your role?
20. If AI significantly impacted your current role, what adjacent roles or industries would you explore?
21. What performance metrics or outcomes do you track to gauge your success?
22. If your job were replaced by AI tomorrow, what would you do next?
23. What risks or ethical concerns do you have about AI’s impact on your industry?
24. How do you ensure that AI is used responsibly in your organization or team?

---

**Step 3: Structured Review and Analysis**

After the interview, responses should be analyzed in the following format:

```xml
<analysis>
- Background Summary: Key points from job, education, skills, and experience
- Response Review: For each question, summarize the answer and assess its relevance to AI adaptation
- Industry Outlook: Identify how AI is expected to impact the interviewee’s domain
- Skills Mapping: Show how their strengths either complement, enhance, or risk redundancy in relation to AI systems
</analysis>
```

---

**Step 4: Final Evaluation and Recommendations**

Deliver your summary using the format below:

Employee AI Evaluation

1. Summary of the Interviewee’s Background  
2. Assessment of Current Relevance in an AI-Driven Economy  
3. Recommendations  
   a. Strengths: 3–5 core capabilities that remain valuable  
   b. Areas for Improvement: 3–5 gaps to address  
   c. Future Opportunities: 2–3 resilient or emerging roles  
   d. Action Plan: 4–6 practical steps to increase AI-aligned value  
4. Conclusion: Outlook on adaptability, risk, and long-term relevance  

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