Listen to the Audio
By Steve Reinharz, CEO/CTO and founder Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions ($AITX)
Everywhere I go, I hear the same fear: “AI is coming for my job.”
Let’s get this out of the way. AI isn’t coming for your job. Not directly. What’s coming for your job is the person sitting next to you, the one who figured out how to use AI to work faster, smarter, and more effectively.
That’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud.
The Myth of Replacement
Technology doesn’t usually erase jobs overnight. It shifts them. The typewriter did not eliminate writers; it made them more productive. The printing press did not end the need for scribes; it created an entirely new publishing industry.
Look at manufacturing. The sewing machine did not end garment work; it multiplied output and created modern textiles. The tractor did not make farming obsolete; it made it possible to feed billions. The ATM did not eliminate bank tellers; banks actually hired more people after ATMs arrived because machines handled routine tasks while humans took on higher-value services.
Other industries tell the same story. Kodak resisted digital photography and lost an empire. Blockbuster ignored streaming and became a cautionary tale. Taxi companies dismissed rideshare until Uber and Lyft changed transportation forever.
The lesson is clear: new tools do not erase human roles; they force those roles to evolve.
Leverage, Not Replacement
Here is the reality: AI does not fire people. It amplifies people.
An employee who understands how to use AI can produce the work of three. They are more efficient, they solve problems faster, they create more value. A lawyer using AI can draft contracts in a fraction of the time. A teacher can generate tailored lesson plans instantly. A marketer can create and test ten campaign ideas before lunch.
And when leaders look at their teams, they notice the difference. They see who is amplifying their performance and who is dragging their feet.
That is when the job market makes its decision. Not AI. People. Managers. Executives. Companies choosing who is adapting and who is not.
Winners and Losers
I often say there are always winners and losers. The dividing line is simple: who is willing to evolve?
The winners are already leaning into AI. They are testing tools, experimenting, learning. They do not fear it, they wield it. The losers are the ones still saying, “I’ll wait and see.”
But in today’s economy, waiting is losing. Standing still is falling behind.
The Choice Is Yours
So no, AI will not take your job. But if you do not evolve, the person next to you absolutely will.
This is the moment to get uncomfortable. To learn new skills. To embrace what is coming, not hide from it.
The real risk is not AI. The real risk is choosing not to change.
The winners already know this. The question is, which side do you want to be on?