Your Job - Will AI Replace you, or Make you More Valuable ?(Part 1)

Part 1: Understanding the Shift (Part 2 coming soon — how to adapt, build experience, and futureproof your skills).

The AI Disruption Is Real — But Is It the Full Story?

In the past few years, there’s been a flood of AI tools — ChatGPT, Midjourney, and swarms of industry-specific platforms. What began as a novelty now feels closer to necessity.

From copywriters to coders, teachers to translators, people across industries are asking: Am I next?

In some cases, the threat isn’t just theoretical.

• Law firms are using AI to analyse contracts.

• Banks are piloting AI-powered customer service agents.

• Media companies are experimenting with AI-generated news summaries and visuals.

• In tech, some entry-level developer roles are being reassessed as AI takes on routine coding tasks.

These tools can draft emails, analyse datasets, generate marketing copy, and even handle customer queries. At this rate, you might wonder when AI will be making the boss’s morning coffee too.

Yet, behind the hype, there are important truths that often get missed.

Scope vs. Scale: Where AI Struggles|

AI excels at narrow, clearly defined tasks — like summarising documents or screening CVs. But it still falters when faced with open-ended problems requiring emotional nuance, deep context, or creative judgment.

You might be wondering: Was this article written by AI? Fair question. But here’s something AI would struggle to do:

Recently, I attended an online event that included a presentation. The person leading it created a warm, welcoming atmosphere early on — I felt included and at ease.

About half an hour in, I noticed one participant becoming visibly more withdrawn — arms folded, avoiding eye contact, looking away from the screen. They asked a question that signaled doubt about their place in the session and followed it with: “I’m not sure this is for me.”

What did the presenter do? They paused. Abandoned the script. Acknowledged what was said instead of brushing past it. They shared part of their own experience, recalled something the participant had mentioned earlier, and gently invited them to speak more if they felt comfortable.

The participant accepted. Their posture shifted. The tone became more open. The presenter then reframed the content in a way that landed — or at least made more sense for that person.

It was a moment of human connection — the kind of responsive, relational work AI can’t replicate.

Augmentation, Not Replacement

In most roles, AI is becoming a collaborator, not a substitute. Marketing teams use it to sketch campaign outlines — but humans still bring brand knowledge, ethics, and creativity to shape the final product.

Would you rather read something entirely machine-made, or something human-led and AI-assisted? Recognising what can be automated helps you double down on what can’t — your human strengths.

A pause for reflection: Which of your tasks could AI handle, freeing you up to focus on more impactful work? If all your work feels routine, it may be a sign it’s time to explore a shift.

What’s Safe? What’s at Risk?

AI’s impact isn’t the same across all jobs. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Most Vulnerable: Data entry, basic bookkeeping, routine customer service — anything rule-based and repetitive.

• More Secure: Jobs requiring complex problem-solving, human connection, creativity, or ethical judgment.
  

Many roles are (and are likely to be in the future) hybrid roles that mix automation-friendly tasks with relational ones — e.g., project managers (scheduling vs. stakeholder management), educators (content creation vs. student mentoring).

Similarly, in education, AI might help create content or quizzes, but it can’t build trust with students or guide their growth in nuanced ways.

This mix means that your most human skills — empathy, judgment, adaptability — are becoming more valuable, not less.

But it also means you may need to shift how you work, upskill in how to use AI tools, and focus on where you add unique value.

That said, here's a reality check: Even as human skills grow in value, not all human-centred roles are secure or fairly paid.

Many caring professions — like teaching assistants, support workers, or carers — rely heavily on emotional labour but remain chronically undervalued and underpaid. These roles often lack career progression, making them vulnerable despite being rooted in the very skills AI can’t replicate.

On the flip side, roles that blend empathy with strategic, technical, or policy insight — like UX design, coaching, service design, or leadership development — tend to be better paid and more resilient to automation. But there's a catch: they often require specific experience, credentials, or insider knowledge that many career changers don’t yet have.

This is where people can get stuck:

• You have transferable human strengths.

• But you lack a clear, credible pathway into roles where those strengths are recognised and rewarded.

Does this sound like you? If so, a personal support service could help.

At ELE Hub, we support people in transition by helping them build and demonstrate new, job-relevant skills. Whether it’s learning how to collaborate with AI tools, taking on a defined project role in a simulated team, or getting guidance on how to translate your past experience into something future-focused — we create safe, supported spaces to try things out and build credibility.

If you’re someone looking to pivot into a more flexible or better-paid career path, you may already have the human strengths needed. What you may need now is a chance to apply new tools and showcase your value in a new context. That’s what we’re here for.