AI Doesn't Eliminate Jobs, It Changes Them

Michael Aguilar

AI isn’t going to take your job, it’s going to change your job. There are things you do as part of your job now which will go away, but new parts will be added.

  • AI is not eliminating jobs but transforming them, similar to how spreadsheets changed accounting practices.

  • Many tedious tasks (e.g., formatting resumes, data entry) are being automated by AI, allowing workers to focus on more valuable aspects of their roles.

  • As mundane tasks are automated, the remaining work becomes more valuable, emphasizing original thought, creativity, and complex decision-making.

  • A marketing professional can now use AI to generate design options quickly, allowing them to focus on creative elements and strategy rather than repetitive tasks.

  • Professionals who do not adapt to using AI tools will fall behind competitors who leverage AI for efficiency and strategic focus.

  • AI is here to take over time-consuming tasks, enabling workers to engage in more meaningful work. Success will depend on the ability to adapt and embrace these tools.

The Real Talk About AI and Jobs

You’ve heard the panic: “AI’s coming for your job!” Headlines alternate between “robots will steal everything” and “AI utopia is here!” Like most tech hype cycles, the truth’s way less dramatic - and way more interesting.

Jobs Shift, Not Vanish

Let’s start with reality: AI doesn’t eliminate jobs, it changes them. Remember when spreadsheets killed ledger books? Accountants didn’t disappear - they stopped adding columns of numbers by hand and started doing actual analysis. Same pattern’s playing out now.

Much of what we call “work” today is just drudgery. Formatting resumes in seven different templates. Copy-pasting data between systems. Proofreading the same legal clauses for the 50th time. AI eats this stuff for breakfast.

The Value Shift

Here’s where it gets spicy: when the tedious stuff disappears, what’s left becomes way more valuable. Original thought. Creative leaps. Judgment calls in messy situations where there’s no “right” answer.

Take marketing. Ten years ago, Sarah would’ve spent half her Thursday painstakingly placing logos in Photoshop for a client pitch. Now? She types “modern tech banner with sunset gradient” into an AI tool, gets 20 options in 60 seconds, then spends her real time mixing elements from three versions, adding hand-drawn sketches, and that weird monkey GIF that somehow makes the campaign memorable.

The AI did the grunt work. Sarah provided the soul.

The Adaptation Trap

Here’s the brutal flip side: if you’re trying to do your job the exact same way you did last year, you’re already losing. Your competitor who uses AI to draft reports, then focuses all their energy on strategy tweaks and client relationships? They’ll consistently outpace you.

It’s like the graphic designer who refused to learn vector tools while everyone else moved on. Possible to keep hand-drawing everything? Sure. Competitive in 2025? Not even close.

The Bottom Line

AI isn’t coming for your job - it’s coming for the parts of your job that take up a lot of time. The winners won’t be the ones who resist tools, but those who treat AI like a turbocharged intern: great at generating raw materials, terrible at knowing what actually matters.

Your job just got less tedious. The question is whether you’ll adapt and do more human work - or keep pretending the old way was sacred.