I just hired 3 marketing people! I want AI to create jobs, not eliminate them.
I don't believe AI will replace human labor, but I imagine every job will have you use it in one capacity or another. That includes plumbers and construction workers, yes.
Did the calculator replace mathematicians? Did Excel replace accountants? Not everyone will build with AI, but I imagine most people will at least use it inside a SaaS product.
I view AI as a productivity enhancer, not a job replacer.
Human roles
AI is not self-motivated; it needs a driver.
I believe AI can only be used effectively if a human is involved. Why? Think of other software that we use. Does it run automatically without human input? No. Why? Because we all have different uses for the software. Same with AI. Until AI can read minds, humans will be involved in the equation.
As an automation specialist, I know there are some things that shouldn't be automated: anything having to do with human connection.
Trades and manual labor
A lot of society relied on manual labor as a way of giving their lives meaning. They didn't ask to be born in a high-tech age; they were forced into one. “Learn to use AI” isn't a good solution. People shouldn't be subjected to this if it's not for them.
Sales
AI can be incredibly helpful for sales. I've delivered real results. But I also knew what was NOT to be automated: the human aspect behind it. No AI salespeople.
Hiring and interviews
Any company doing AI or one-way interviews should strongly reconsider. It's dehumanizing and signals to candidates that you think your time is more valuable than theirs. Interviewing is human connection at its core. I would never interview with an AI agent.
Marketing strategy and creative direction
AI does not create good marketing material on its own. You must direct it. You can make high-quality AI marketing materials, but not without doing some of your OWN work. It has to be YOUR vision, not the robot's. Humans are good at pattern recognition; they'll know when it's low-effort AI.
Oversight and judgment
If your workflow requires emotional judgment, you will have to form a symbiotic relationship with AI. The best results with AI come when the human instructs the AI on what to do, not vice versa.
Unless you view entry-level work as mindless, a human brain using the technology will produce something much better than an “autonomous” agent can. After all, someone ultimately has to adjust and evaluate the agent's output.
AI-SaaS roles
There is no future where everyone designs their own apps to optimize their life. People will use AI in varying capacities.
AI doesn't make things easier for us; it just allows us to do more in a shorter period of time. AI will be used in everything from financial modeling to marketing. EVERY job will require AI.
Marketing
AI is just another tool in a marketer's kit. At Capital Catalyst, we believe in using AI to enhance your marketing team, not fire them.
Finance and spreadsheets
I didn't know how to do pivot tables, so I asked the AI for formulas.
Sales ops and CRM
Start doing CRM work, and create an agent that gives you a to-do list based on CRM data.
Research and real estate
I recently created my own multi-agent workflow for a client. It searches through records and finds the owners of properties. By creating this system, I've saved the company hundreds of hours of research.
Video and content
I've been working with AI to edit videos for the past year or so. Like anything else, use AI to enhance your vision.
Job seekers
I use AI to format my resume, not to make stuff up.
Software engineering
Even the best AI isn't perfect at coding, but people act like tech doesn't advance. Let's be honest, some people still have a career coding by hand in PHP.
The builders behind it
2 years ago there were no AI job postings, but I continued studying and learning anyway. This is not the market from 2 years ago, when there weren't many of these positions available. It's the most in-demand skill.
Part of being a good applied AI engineer is knowing when NOT to automate something.
Why “AI will take your job” is a sales pitch
It is the best invention of all time, but weren't we supposed to replace 90% of white-collar work with it 2 years ago?
Anyone who's worried about AI taking jobs in the near future isn't using it enough. It's a great tool that I use religiously, but I constantly have to intervene to get it to work properly. I think this fear is pushed by shareholders because fear creates hype for AI.
What sounds more appealing to a human being: “This tech is so great it'll put you out of a job!” or “This will HELP humans be more productive than ever”?
My belief is that blaming downsizing on AI is a pretty weak excuse. It largely admits that a lot of these companies were hiring for roles they now think they don't need, and people they know they definitely don't need.
If you don't have AI experience and decide to fire your team, you're creating a slop machine that won't produce results.
For now, AI will help you beat your competition, which will force everyone to adopt it, which will then even the playing field to some degree. AI will change every industry as we know it, in due time.
What the future of work rewards
AI evens the playing field. Custom-made software is the future. Most SaaS comes with options people will never use; they're paying for extra features.
How did a history grad with no internships become an AI engineer? It's sort of a coincidence that this technology rewards being able to express your needs in written form, a much more valuable skill. In a way, it's made more use of a liberal arts degree than I thought was possible, namely being able to write, which is something I enjoy.
I think with AI we can figure out how to draw the intellectual curiosity out of people, creating more experts in niche fields than ever before with lessons tailored to each student's interests.
AI represents a bold new frontier, one that democratizes knowledge and empowers the next generation to close longstanding skills gaps. In the foreseeable future, I envision it as an amplified version of tools like Google: immensely capable, but grounded in augmentation rather than transcendence.
If you're just starting out
To anyone struggling to find an entry-level job, or who feels left behind because of AI: I will help you for absolutely free.
Think about something that consumes a lot of your time. Deconstruct it step by step.
Become an AI specialist in a specific field. Take on a non-technical job, whether that be sales, marketing, working in a lab, executive assistant, whatever. Work there for a year or two automating stuff for them (make sure you retain your IP), and now you're an AI specialist in that field, which will set you apart.
How will you put yourself above the competition? With a portfolio of projects you've worked on.
I'm excited for the future of AI and will continue to dedicate my life to using it.