10 Ways to Future-Proof Your Career in the Age of AI
Episode 747: Show Notes
Today we want to chat with you about how to future-proof your industry, expertise, and career in the AI age. Recently, we’ve been having the conversation about AI a lot and sharing some perspectives as well as talking about some software companies we’ve enjoyed using; including a conversation with the CEO of ChatGPT. This is a conversation that needs to be addressed often so we can understand how it can best support us.
The Harvard Business Review has come up with five ways to future-proof your career in the age of AI, and we have also come up with five ways, so today, we are sharing 10 actionable steps you can take to do this. Tune in today for a jam-packed episode, and make sure to grab a pen and paper to write these tips down!
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Avoid Being a Predictable Solution
The more AI learns, the more our culture is going to become homogeneous. Everyone will have the same answers and the same questions and the goal is to break that cycle and avoid being the same as everyone else. We know you’re all worried about sounding the same because of AI but the fact is, you won’t sound the same if you try not to sound the same!
We can use our own intelligence and creativity to tweak AI drafts and make them less generic. We need to be able to use AI to our advantage without relying on it as the only draft that comes out of our work. This isn’t only for Chat GPT and other similar tools, but it also goes for Gmail autocorrect and other things like that too. We want you to utilize your own knowledge to sound more interesting!
Honing the Skills that the Machines are Trying to Emulate
AI is doing a really good job of learning, but it’s still struggling to have and express emotion. This is an opportunity to hone in on those specific skills and ensure that you aren’t only looking at the surface level of your actions. You understand people in a way that technology doesn’t, and they are still struggling to bridge that gap. We want you to lean into the ways that you’re similar to your ideal clients and the ways that you understand them because that is your advantage and a differentiator between you and AI.
Focus on how you show up in empathy, self-awareness, and creativity. These are things that AI is trying to do but only based on text prediction. The difference between you and technology is that you know what these feelings feel like, and you can show up sincerely. That is what sets you apart.
Doubling Down on the Real World
In the wake of COVID where we were so separated and based on how obsessed we are with technology, you have the opportunity to connect with people physically! Going for coffee, taking someone to lunch, going to conferences, and getting through to the actual human on the other side by having that real-world connection.
AI can only connect past thoughts and information that it’s already been presented with so original information and information in real-time is absolutely critical. We want you to dig deeper to identify new information. That skill is beneficial for your career and for you as a whole! This is an opportunity for us to focus on things that are new, innovative, and consider the human element because that is the biggest differentiator between us and AI!
Developing your Personal Brand
We want you to develop your personal brand and get people to buy in and care about you as a human being and an expert in your field. Corporate leaders will likely continue to pay a premium for the people viewed as the top of their field. Some companies are banning AI in its entirety, and even without this extreme measure; there is still an opportunity for you to be the real expert. Your alignment with people with similar values makes a statement about your company and the work you’re pursuing. We think who you know is becoming increasingly important as AI homogenizes everything, so make sure to develop your brand and optimize your connections.
Cultivating your Expertise
Continuing to hone the skills that got you to where you are and continuing to learn is completely in your power! This is critical as we move into this new AI world. AI cannot be used as a source at this point in time, and it cannot be trusted to deliver accurate results. The skill of fact-checking, researching, presenting true facts, and having multiple sources is where us humans stand out! We’re concerned that AI is going to start referencing things that people have deemed factual with absolutely no basis, and that is not how things work.
You have to do your due diligence on anything AI tells you is true because people are becoming more distrusting. If you can back what you say up with actual points of reference, people will trust you more. We want you to focus on things that are true and make sure you can show that you have researched these things and have loads of evidence behind them so that you can stand out.
Creating the Ultimate Customer Service Experience for Your Clients
We want you to create a valuable, authentic, helpful, and extraordinary customer service experience for your clients, the traffic that lands in your circle, and the prospects that are reaching out to you. You need to look at how you communicate, show up, deliver, and match your online and real-life presence. Being mindful of how you can continue to improve all that is a huge game changer. What differentiates companies is no longer the work itself but the experience someone has along the way and what they feel throughout that time. How you impact people's lives and make them feel matters a lot to humans, which is not something AI can do at this point.
Leveraging AI to Help You Do Your Job Faster
Next, we want you to focus on speed! Rather than be frustrated about AI's potential to take your job, instead focus on how you can leverage AI to help you do your job faster and more efficiently. We do not need AI to create art and write stories; we need AI to do all the logistical work so humans have more time to be creative. We want you to get your time back using AI so that you can show up in your business in really cool ways. Paying attention to how to use it to make your life easier is important.
Keep in mind that our world is going to evolve faster than it ever has before, and that is going to make people really tired. Keeping up with that pace of change is exhausting, so we want you to take this opportunity to slow down intentionally in your customer experience. People will be craving calmness, and you can optimize that need! AI may strengthen our addiction to urgency, and we want you to take a pause on that and assess it.
How to Use AI’s Slow Updates to Your Advantage
Chat GPT is incredibly old in its way of thinking (like pre-pandemic old!), and you can use that to your advantage for as long as possible. It is never ever going to be as up-to-date as you can be, and you can do something with that information. We want you to be able to tweak and repeat things based on the information you’re getting in real time because that is going to be more critical than ever before!
We know that this is changing rapidly, and this technology may even be updated tomorrow but the base model is going to continue to be delayed for who knows how long. The more new information it has, the more likely it is to be false, which is why it is being slowed down deliberately. There are so many opportunities for you to focus on that timeliness piece!
Using Your Own Thought Leadership
Knowledge is freely accessible now more than ever, and it will continue to be spread, and learning will grow. What will not change is your opinion and ability to adapt and evolve. That is what you need to hone in on. Having your own unique take is absolutely essential, and it is the differentiating factor here. We want you to figure out what your SOP is for how you deliver results and your messaging. Identifying what you do and why and how you are the unique expert in your field is how you will beat AI.
The One Thing AI Cannot Replicate
A timeless approach to doing business and interacting with your ideal prospect is something that AI simply cannot replicate. Riding the trend train is even harder than ever with the speed at which technology changes. So many companies are pivoting their entire business model to be AI-focused. Yes, this will make people loads of money, but it will be a select few. That road is going to be way more difficult. The less stressful approach is where you focus on more timeless and foundational things.
No matter what happens in the world, we want your business to remain a constant and the way you do that is not leveraging flash-success trends but instead relying on foundational business practices. If you want some insight into how to deal with challenges or even if you just want a sounding board, we would love to have a conversation with you and help you navigate this new world we’re living in.
Quote This
Being human is going to be a bigger differentiator than it’s ever been before.
Highlights
Avoid Being a Predictable Solution. [0:15:41]
Honing the Skills that the Machines are Trying to Emulate. [0:17:48]
Doubling Down on the Real World. [0:19:45]
Developing Your Personal Brand. [0:21:53]
Cultivating Your Expertise. [0:23:52]
Creating the Ultimate Customer Service and Experience for Your Clients. [0:27:52]
Leveraging AI to Help You Do Your Job Faster. [0:29:32]
How to Use AI’s Slow Updates to Your Advantage. [0:32:42]
Using Your Own Thought Leadership. [0:34:55]
The One Thing AI Cannot Replicate. [0:36:19]
Today’s Guest:
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
The Strategy Hour Podcast is a twice weekly show hosted by Abagail Pumphrey and Emylee Williams, the founders of Boss Project. Join us for semi-ranty biz conversations for service providers looking to ethically grow their agency businesses. Episodes cover everything from lead generation to leadership mindset to team culture and beyond.
Key Topics:
AI, Chat GPT, Technological Changes, Human Element, Thought Leadership, Timeless Business
