The Productivity Revolution Is Here
The most powerful shift I’m seeing is using AI to multiply productivity. Many business leaders discourage employees from using AI, which is a massive mistake. Instead, we should be encouraging our teams to become AI power users while maintaining their creative and strategic thinking.
In my company, I’m planning a meeting to discuss exactly this: “We’re growing rapidly, no one’s losing their job, but I expect everyone to become three times more effective and efficient within a year.”
My message is simple: You can work three hours a day instead of nine, but you need to leverage AI effectively to maintain or increase your output. This isn’t about working more – it’s about working smarter.
The Fear Factor: Will AI Take Your Job?
When people ask me if AI will take their jobs, my answer is nuanced. If you’re a designer who simply takes orders without contributing creative ideas – if your boss tells you to “make a picture of a moon smiling at a cow while milk comes out and a man drinks it” and you just execute – then yes, you’re at risk.
But if you’re creative and strategic, you have time. The key distinction is between order-takers and idea-generators. AI will replace execution before it replaces imagination.
This pattern isn’t new. Throughout history, we’ve seen technological shifts eliminate certain jobs while creating new ones:
- When tractors were invented, 80% of society worked on farms – those jobs evolved
- Horse-drawn transportation once employed thousands of people just to clean manure from city streets
- The Yellow Pages employed thousands before search engines made them obsolete
- Taxi industries were transformed by ridesharing apps
History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes. We always feel we’re in unprecedented times, but looking back, there’s always precedent.
Practical Ways to Implement AI in Your Business
For those wondering how to start using AI more strategically, here are my recommendations:
- Strategic thinking partner: Ask AI to analyze trends, explore market opportunities, or evaluate business ideas
- Efficiency multiplier: Have your team identify repetitive tasks that AI can handle, freeing them for higher-value work
- Learning accelerator: Use AI to quickly understand new concepts or industries
- Content framework: Generate outlines and ideas, then add your unique perspective and expertise
The key is using AI to enhance your thinking, not replace it. When I prompt AI, I’m looking for perspectives I might have missed, connections I hadn’t considered, or data points that could inform better decisions.
The Opportunity Gap Is Widening
There’s never been a time when 22-30 year olds have made more money independently than right now. Between podcasting, social media, and AI tools, the barriers to entry for creating value have never been lower.
The platforms are free. You don’t pay Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok to create content that can lead to monetization. Yet many people still feel it’s “oversaturated” or that they “have nothing to offer.”
This mindset is just an excuse born from fear of failing. Millions of people are currently making six figures on social media, either selling products or monetizing their personal brand in various ways. The question isn’t “why them?” but “why not you?”
Now, with AI tools available to everyone, this opportunity gap will only widen between those who embrace these technologies and those who resist them.
The Future Belongs to the Adaptable
The technology is profound. In five years, you’ll likely be able to generate podcast interviews by typing them out in minutes because voice patterns will be mapped so accurately.
If you’re scared about these changes, sitting around complaining won’t help. Learn new skills, apply for different jobs, or figure out how to use these tools to your advantage.
My approach to AI is to embrace it as a partner rather than fear it as a replacement. I’m using it to think more broadly, work more efficiently, and create more value – and I believe that’s the mindset that will separate the winners from the losers in this next technological revolution.
The question isn’t whether AI will change your industry – it will. The question is whether you’ll be leading that change or trying to catch up after it happens. The choice, as always, is yours.
