The robots are coming

A screenshot of GPT-generated anecdotes about my kids, based on a custom training model created from 1,200 past Facebook posts.

If you think your working life changed a lot in the past three years, buckle up: It’s going to change even more in the next three.

That’s because artificial intelligence is now mature enough to dramatically change the way many of us do our work. And while it may be possible to dodge AI’s impact for the next three years, embracing it now is the best way of nurturing your career prospects for the longer run.

GPT will change our work

While AI has been around for a while, what’s changed in the past year is what’s known as “generative AI”: tools like ChatGPT (which can write text or code) and DALL-E (which makes images). You may find their creations unconvincing, frivolous or even unethical, but I don’t recommend dismissing them too quickly.

GPT-like tools are going to make their way into most corners of the working world over the next few years, in ways that will transform or eliminate a lot of jobs (as well as creating new kinds of employment). The best way to be on the winning side of that equation, and to play a role in shaping the business and social impact of the AI transformation, is by understanding the way these technologies may affect your own field. That means rolling up your sleeves, and learning how to use them.