“Is AI gonna take our jobs?”

 

That’s the wrong question.

It’s like standing in front of a Ferrari asking if it’s going to replace your bicycle. Technically, sure … but aren’t you at least a little curious what happens if you learn to drive?

The center of gravity just moved: According to McKinsey’s latest research, today’s tech could already automate 57% of U.S. work hours. That’s half your to-do list. Gone. Vaporized.

But the headline isn’t the automation.

The headline is this:

Over 70% of the skills we use today still matter.

They’re just getting reused, remixed, and re-leveled.

AI isn’t deleting humans. It’s deleting chores. Drafting? Gone. Research? Half-gone. Data prep? Your new robot intern’s problem.

Meanwhile, human value is stampeding toward the good stuff: judgment, framing messy problems, negotiating, coaching, seeing around corners. The things no algorithm can fake without looking like a teenager wearing his dad’s suit.

Demand for AI fluency has jumped 7x in two years.

What does that mean to you? You don’t have to be a prompt-slinging wizard, but you do need to understand what this tech can do besides writing snappy emails. You need to know how to pair people with agents with robots the way great chefs pair flavors: intentionally, creatively, with a dash of fearlessness.

The $2.9 Trillion Elephant in the Room

$2.9 trillion … that’s the number leaders keep stepping around like it’s optional: Companies that rebuild entire workflows -- not just sprinkle AI like parsley -- stand to unlock $2.9 trillion a year by 2030.

But the winners won’t be the ones with the most AI.  They’ll be the ones with the best partnerships, where humans, agents, and robots don’t just coexist but compound each other’s strengths. Think co-pilot, not tool. Dance partner, not threat.

The Bottom Line

If you’re a leader waiting for the world to “settle down” so you can make a clean, rational AI strategy, I have news: the future is already jogging laps around your building. This is the moment -- right now -- to rethink roles, redraw workflows, and reskill your people.

Not because AI is coming for your jobs … but because your competitors are coming for your workflows.

And they brought robots.