The Nature of Your Job in the AI Age
I want to talk about a topic that affects almost everyone in 2026 and, most likely, for the next 5 to 10 years: what exactly is our role in this crazy AI world?
It sounds generic, I know. But here's how I see it after a completely random conversation I had yesterday with a stranger in my preferred coffee shop.
We were both sitting with our laptops open, so I simply asked him, "Hey, I just wanted to ask you if you're a developer, because I am." I wasn't trying to sell anything. I was just curious about what he was working on.
We started talking and I found out that he was learning data science, Power BI, and data analysis through an online course. But he was having second thoughts.
When I asked him why, he said, "AI is at everybody's disposal, and I don't buy this AI stuff anymore."
Well, that turned on the X/Twitter guru in me. :P
I started explaining that AI is a tool and that he should be thinking about how to apply what he's learning to real client problems. His response was interesting: "Clients already know AI exists. They don't need an operator."
That's when I stopped looking at it purely as a technology discussion and put my business hat on.
We spent almost an hour going back and forth about what people actually sell in the AI age. We eventually agreed that you are not really selling Power BI, data analysis, software, websites, or AI. You are selling a result or a transformation.
A business might have no digital presence and want to start selling online. Another might already be making sales but wants to increase them by 20% or 30%. Another might have everything in place but needs better reporting to make smarter decisions.
The starting point is always the same: understand where the client is, where they want to go, and what is preventing them from getting there.
Then the technology comes in.
We talked about his potential role as a data analyst. Some businesses still have paperwork. Others rely heavily on spreadsheets. Others already have databases connected to their applications.
His job could be to extract, clean, organize, and analyze that data, then turn it into dashboards and insights that help the business make better decisions. What should they buy more of? What should they stop buying? Which supplier is creating problems? When should they reorder?
The dashboard isn't the real product.
The analysis isn't the real product.
The better business decision is.
We also talked about our educational backgrounds. I'm a Computer Science graduate, while he comes from a Commerce background. Traditionally, someone with a Computer Science degree would have had a significant technical advantage.
But AI changes the equation.
Today, someone without a Computer Science degree can learn programming, analyze data, build dashboards, automate tasks, and create software with the help of AI. People without technical backgrounds are already building things and competing in markets that were previously much harder to enter.
That doesn't mean experience and knowledge no longer matter. It means the gap is changing.
At one point, the conversation became quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Yeah, you're right."
I told him, "You have business knowledge, and you have AI."
And that's where I think the real opportunity is.
AI is already here. It is moving fast, and it will probably keep moving faster. Hating it won't make it disappear. Ignoring it won't stop it either.
So pick a skill.
Tie it to a real client need.
Use AI as a helper.
Then become extremely good at finding clients, understanding them, delivering the work, retaining them, and finding the next one.
The tools will keep changing. Your ability to create value is what you need to keep sharpening.
And the conversation itself ended up being a good example of that.
After almost an hour of talking, two complete strangers exchanged numbers. He walked away with more clarity about what he could actually do with the skills he was learning, and he told me he found the experience valuable.
We also found a potential win-win. If he comes across people in his network who need software development, he can refer them to me, and I told him I'd give him a cut from any business that comes through his referral.
No sales pitch. No funnel. No complicated networking strategy.
It started with, "Hey, are you a developer?"
Sometimes, a conversation gives someone clarity. Sometimes, it creates an opportunity. Sometimes, it does both.
That's not a shortcut.
That's a foundation.
And maybe that's the real nature of your job in the AI age: not competing with AI, but becoming someone who knows how to use it to create better outcomes for other people.