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AI is starting to influence who gets hired, who earns more, and who creates the most value at work, even if widespread job replacement has not fully arrived.<\/span><\/p>\n Adobe Stock<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard this before:<\/p>\n \u201cAI won\u2019t replace people. People who use AI will replace people who don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n No one is sure who (if anyone) said it first, perhaps Sam Altman or Jensen Huang. But since it became clear that the AI revolution is truly underway, it\u2019s become a familiar phrase. <\/p>\n As a prediction and model for how workforces will react to the automation of everyday information work, it\u2019s compelling. <\/p>\n And some feel that it also serves as a smokescreen, enabling businesses to lay off staff by claiming they weren\u2019t properly skilled, while the real aim is simply to reduce costs. <\/p>\n But is it actually happening?<\/p>\n Three years on from the launch of ChatGPT, we\u2019re getting a clearer view of the real implications of AI in the workplace. Rather than prediction and speculation, we see real-world change and transformation starting to happen. <\/p>\n There have been mass layoffs, reskilling drives and government initiatives aimed at transforming entire regions into hotbeds of AI talent and innovation. <\/p>\n But has adopting AI into your working life really become the golden ticket to future-proofing your career or business? Let\u2019s take a look. <\/p>\n Right now, the AI that\u2019s most valuable to businesses is AI that can automate routine tasks, complete work more quickly and efficiently, or create new opportunities and business models. <\/p>\n In theory, workers skilled with AI tools should be able to complete many tasks more quickly than those who aren\u2019t. <\/p>\n The biggest winners, though, are those who can use AI not just to work more efficiently, but to rethink their job from the ground up. <\/p>\n Take software engineering, for example. This is a field where AI has already been highly disruptive, with claims that entry-level jobs<\/a> are disappearing and senior developers are becoming more productive<\/a>. <\/p>\n The low-hanging fruit, like using AI to generate boilerplate code and fix bugs, creates a straightforward path to efficiency and productivity gains, in theory at least.<\/p>\n But engineers who realize that AI effectively puts an entire virtual workforce at their command, enabling them to act more like project architects or orchestrators, fundamentally change what they\u2019re able to accomplish. <\/p>\n Likewise, an HR professional can score quick wins using AI to screen CVs, draft job descriptions and handle routine employee queries. They will cut the time they spend on repetitive work and, hopefully, become more productive in other ways. <\/p>\n But if they can use it to implement end-to-end workforce management systems, make data-driven predictions about hiring needs, create personalized employee development paths and continuously optimize workforce performance, a new world of possibilities opens up. <\/p>\n Or consider a teacher. They can create more free time to spend face-to-face with students by automating marking and the creation of teaching materials. But by creating personalized learning journeys for individual students, or spotting opportunities to intervene earlier when lessons aren\u2019t being fully absorbed, they can create entirely new education experiences. <\/p>\n So, the theory is sound. But the critical question is, how is this actually playing out in practice? Are workplaces becoming dominated by AI-augmented super-workers, or is AI just being used as an excuse to cut jobs? <\/p>\n Well, as you might expect, the answer is nuanced. <\/p>\n There\u2019s certainly evidence that AI skills are impacting hiring. In 2025, Data from PwC<\/a> was already showing that workers with AI skills command a 56 percent wage premium over those doing the same job but without AI skills. This had increased from just 25 percent the previous year. <\/p>\n Other studies<\/a> have shown that candidates who list AI skills on their resumes are between eight and fifteen percent more likely to be shortlisted for an interview.<\/p>\n And one survey found that 72.8 percent of people with a household income of over \u00a3200,000 have increased their use of AI in the past year, suggesting increasing use is correlated with higher earnings. <\/p>\n But while there have certainly been workforce cuts related to AI, not much data is available on whether a lack of AI skills was a factor in people losing their jobs. <\/p>\n Barron\u2019s reports that AI was cited<\/a> in 25 percent of layoffs so far in 2026, compared to just 5 percent during the same period in 2025. Some, however, have questioned how accurate this is<\/a>, bearing in mind that CEOs right now are under pressure to do two things: reduce costs and justify spending on AI. <\/p>\nWhy Will People With AI Skills Be So Valuable?<\/h2>\n
And Has This Happened?<\/h2>\n