University of Kwazulu-Natal

Ai Won T Replace You But It Will Redefine What Makes You Valuable At W

Bonisiwe Shabane
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ai won t replace you but it will redefine what makes you valuable at w

Professor of Business and Associate Director, Centre of FinTech, University of East London Nazrul Islam is affiliated with Royal Docks School of Business and Law at the University of East London. He serves in editorial roles for Technological Forecasting and Social Change and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. He is member of the Board of Directors of International Association for Management of Technology (IAMOT) and Business and Applied Science Academy of North America (BAASANA), USA. University of East London provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK. Across the world, workers are increasingly anxious that artificial intelligence (AI) will make their jobs obsolete.

But the evidence from research and industry tells a very different story. AI is not taking over the workplace. Instead, it’s quietly reshaping what human work looks like – and what makes people valuable within it. In research on how the workforce is being transformed by AI, my colleagues and I have found that the most successful organisations are not the ones replacing employees with algorithms, but those redesigning their... The former journalist in me looks at AI and thinks, “I've seen this movie before.” In the early 2000s, I covered the implosion of the newspaper industry for The Washington Post.

I wrote about the buyouts that sent seasoned journalists packing, the shrinking of newsrooms and the collapse of the business model that had sustained American journalism for more than a century. Those of us lucky enough to retain our jobs had to learn and adapt. By the time I left The Post in 2010, the internet had permanently disrupted journalism and, for many, looked like the enemy. I see that era as a tiny foretaste of what’s happening now. The upheaval driven by artificial intelligence will not be limited to a few unlucky sectors. The internet has taken away print journalism’s advertising revenue.

AI is coming for nearly every job that doesn’t require a wrench or a shovel — and eventually, it may come for those, too. For many, AI looks like the enemy. We will have to learn and adapt again. What Microsoft’s latest research says about GenAI, job risk and the future of first-gen professionals By Gina Cano | Leader | Founder | Author | Unapologetic Latina When Microsoft researchers released their latest study on the occupational impact of generative AI, the headlines were clear:

🧠 Jobs that rely on writing, research, and communication? Most likely to be affected. 💪 Jobs that require physical presence or human touch nursing assistants, construction workers, massage therapists? Least likely to be replaced. We’ve entered an era where AI can design, write, analyze, and even empathize — sometimes with unsettling fluency. As organizations scramble to automate, restructure, and reskill, a familiar anxiety has reemerged: will machines make people obsolete?

The real disruption isn’t whether AI replaces humans ingenuity and productivity — it’s how it changes what humans are valued for. And if we get it right, we’re not heading toward irrelevance, but augmentation. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, nearly 40% of skills in today’s jobs will be disrupted by 2030. But look closer at what’s rising to the top of the global skills agenda: analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility, leadership, and curiosity. In short, soft skills. These aren’t easily automated or mass-produced.

They’re developed through practice, reflection, and human interaction. And while organizations recognize their importance, they remain the hardest to assess and scale. This paradox — where the most in-demand capabilities are the hardest to identify — demands a new approach to talent development. Not one that leans harder into standardization, but one that personalizes, contextualizes, and empowers. Lately, there has been no shortage of bold declarations on social media: “AI will replace you,” “You won’t be hired without an AI-first mindset,” or “Adapt or be obsolete.” While these headlines generate attention,... The real question is not whether AI will take your job.

It’s whether you are investing in the right skills and mindset to remain valuable with AI. Those who thrive will be those who integrate AI into their workflows without losing the human traits that make them indispensable. That brings me to a favorite book I often read when I just started my professional journey: How to Be a Star at Work by Robert Kelley. Written over two decades ago, it might seem dated in an AI-driven world. But its core message is more relevant than ever. Kelley’s research at Bell Labs revealed that what separated star performers from average ones wasn’t raw intelligence or talent but a distinct set of behaviors and attitudes.

Initiative means consistently going beyond what is asked or expected. Not in a reckless way, but by spotting gaps, problems, or opportunities before others do. In an AI-enhanced workplace, this trait becomes even more critical. Employees who take the lead in identifying how AI can be applied to streamline a process or test a solution demonstrate real value. Initiative is not about having the loudest voice in the room; it is about having the foresight to act when others are waiting. Effective networking is not about collecting contacts; it is about building relationships that span departments, disciplines, and levels of hierarchy.

Star performers cultivate these connections to tap into a broader pool of knowledge and influence. In a world where AI is being piloted across multiple domains, those with strong internal networks are better equipped to learn from others, share what works, and co-create integrated solutions. AI does not replace collaboration; it makes it more essential. AI isn’t here to replace you. It’s here to rethink everything. Learn why the future of work belongs to leaders who act fast, think bigger and adapt smarter.

Artificial intelligence is frequently described as a “tool.” The term sounds innocuous enough, perhaps even reassuring. A tool suggests something manageable, discrete and subordinate. But this language is misleading. AI is the foundation of a new operational logic, one that reshapes how SMEs can function, compete and lead. Where earlier technological advances fit neatly into established workflows, AI alters the very conditions under which those workflows exist. It changes not just the machinery of business, but the grammar.

Most firms remain bound by 20th-century metaphors such as “hierarchies”, “workflows”and “departments, all the while AI is quietly authoring a new syntax of decision making and value creation. The modern company is a structure of inherited assumptions. Most are holdovers from the industrial era. Organisational pyramids, clear chains of command and fixed roles evolved in response to scale, not speed. These arrangements were efficient for managing labour and capital but are not suited to managing intelligence. Especially when that intelligence is distributed across machines.

AI reorients the logic of the firm. Information, once centralised, becomes widely accessible. Analytical power is no longer the exclusive domain of consultants or C-suite executives. It now resides equally in the hands of operations managers, marketing analysts and product designers. Insights move in 3D rather than 2D. Across the world, workers are increasingly anxious that artificial intelligence (AI) will make their jobs obsolete.

But the evidence from research and industry tells a very different story. AI is not taking over the workplace. Instead, it's quietly reshaping what human work looks like—and what makes people valuable within it.... read full story Answer for your question of the article will be displayed here ...

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