Recently in so many meetings I have voiced the words, “we are living in a moment…” Uncertainty and disruption are a regular part of our lives in 2025, and there are a myriad number of forces playing in to the current climate. One of the most notable is the impact of artificial intelligence (AI). While attending a conference by Jobs for the Future (JFF) in New Orleans I was able to hear from experts that included leaders from LinkedIn, MIT, Harvard, AARP, and government on their predictions and the biggest conclusion I reached was “We don’t know…but it is happening.”
Here are a few themes I’ve picked up on:
- Equating the AI Disruption to NAFTA, but for white collar work…
When the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect in 1992, experts state it did its job of stimulating economic growth for the participating economies and countries, but it also did not effectively prepare the workers (and communities) that were in the middle of the disruption for upskilling and effective work. As a result, the gains experienced did not include those workers and they largely moved into lower paying service sector or customer service jobs that made gains as manufacturing was off shored.
AI, it is hypothesized, also presents a similar challenge, but for professional roles whose clerical and administrative tasks can be now filled more efficiently. AARP noted the potential for intense disruption for workers over 50 who do not reskill, and higher education leaders emphasized the differences in expectations at work for recent college graduates.
Young people graduating from college are, due to AI taking on true “entry-level” tasks, now going to be challenged with higher orders of thinking and complex problem-solving and project management challenges than was previously expected of an “entry-level” role. For years a consistent theme from American businesses has been the lack of preparedness for work among this demographic…that challenge will only be exacerbated by this disruption. This makes an even greater imperative for high school and college students to be instilled with critical thinking and lifelong learning attributes.
In the meantime, we need to do everything we can to upskill workers effectively, so they are not left behind as new markets/jobs emerge and expectations shift.
2. The Arms Race is Ahead of Implementation (and kind of doesn’t care about it)
In the words of an expert from MIT, “the capabilities and capacity of AI are being dictated by a small number of well-funded male egos who are looking to build the biggest tool possible, and most of the capacity and capabilities they are giving it will have little to no impact on how most people use AI.”
According to the expert and the panel he joined, the “biggest and baddest” AI systems are already capable of doing far more than what any individual or even large corporation currently needs. How it intersects with our everyday lives is yet to be determined and will largely be driven through this next stage of literacy and implementation.
When computers and email began to disrupt how we work, there were features, services and tools in existence that are no longer with us today because the shiny toy ended up not being valued by the end-user. Eventually (as occurred with the internet after the .com bubble burst) AI will enter a similar phase where the consumer drives the value rather than speculation. That’s still quite a long way off.
3. Sooner than later, for relevant work, AI will become the expectation instead of an asset
LinkedIn leaders stated that “AI Literacy” was the fastest growing skill in job postings on LinkedIn… but according to Stanford it still only appears in 2% of job postings. Labor market experts showed how “email” only appeared as a skill in postings for a short period before becoming an expectation. They believe that, due to ease of access, “AI literacy” will have a similar trajectory where it goes from being an asset to an expected method for how someone works. Employers and communities need to have a plan to help workers through this moment, and ensure people are not left behind.
Conclusion
This “moment” we are living in has the capacity to be recognized as a 21st century “industrial revolution,” but instead of taking 20-30 years like the previous ones have, it may only take 3-5… the ease of implementation and access means communities, businesses, and individuals need to be careful, considerate, and open minded in their exploration and utilization of emerging technologies.
As a community, Hamilton County communities and businesses need to be thinking about how we facilitate this period of disruption and use it to our advantage. I believe that “lifelong learning” is a strong value for our community and needs to be fully engaged behind AI literacy and adoption. According to Lightcast, the pace of skills change and adaptation in job postings today is the fastest it has ever been in American history. We need to build corridors and engines that facilitate worker and employer adaptability.