Two big, interconnected reasons:
- In most fields, AI still can’t beat the pros.
- Modern business runs on specialized roles.
How so? Check this out:
Imagine this circle is your skillset. The entire white space is everything needed to run your company.
With AI, you can dabble outside your lane and be better than a complete beginner. But in your own area of expertise, AI is still no match for you.
Here’s your colleague’s skillset. Different job, but a similar-sized circle of expertise.
A company is just a collection of specialists. Everyone sticks to their job, and together, you cover all the bases.
See where this is going? There’s hardly any room left for AI to step in.
Aha! The biggest roadblock for AI is something fundamental and almost impossible to change: specialization, the very foundation of modern business.
So, back to our two points:
- In most fields, AI still can’t beat the pros.
- Modern business runs on specialized roles.
For this to change, one of those two things has to give.
Uprooting specialization is almost unthinkable. But if AI surpasses the pros, specialization becomes irrelevant anyway. And that would lead to a society we can’t even picture today.
But things change slowly. AI is closing the gap on the experts, little by little. You could say it’s already better than some, or at least the less skilled ones.
So AI is being used, right? Exactly.
Most employees have messed around with AI. But two things are holding them back from going all-in:
- They’ve discovered AI can’t top them at their day job, but it’s a miracle worker for things they’re clueless about. So, AI gets relegated to side quests and personal tasks.
- And sure, AI can save them some time on the job. But that time is already paid for by the boss. Are they really going to hand back those cleverly saved minutes? No way. They pocket the extra time, and the boss is none the wiser.
But jobs are disappearing, aren’t they?
But look closer. What kind of jobs? Which roles are being handed to AI? Why is this happening if AI isn’t even pro-level yet?
Usually, it’s the jobs that are less critical to making money. For these roles, a drop in quality to AI-level is “good enough.” On the flip side, have you ever heard of a sales team being replaced by AI? Didn’t think so.
This is nothing new. Companies have been cutting these same kinds of jobs during downturns long before AI came along. It’s not some AI-powered revolution.