What AI Means for Your Job in the Next 10 Years

I hear the fear everywhere I go. People are worried that AI is coming for their jobs. Not just tech jobs, but almost all kinds of work. I understand that fear. New technology has always made people nervous. But I also believe we are looking at this moment the wrong way.

Technology has always changed jobs. That is not new. What has kept people moving forward is our ability to adapt. We learn new skills. We find new ways to work. We grow alongside the tools we create. I’ve seen this before. Before word processors, people used electric typewriters. When tools like WordStar and MS Word came along, the people who learned them early didn’t lose their jobs. They improved their careers.

AI is similar, but also very different. It is more powerful because it can help us think, reason, and create. That means we have to rethink what work even looks like. This year, we entered what some people call Generation Beta. These are kids who will never know a world without AI. By the time they enter the workforce around 2045, their jobs will look nothing like ours today. If we wait too long to prepare, we will fall behind.

So what happens to jobs now? The first changes will happen in work that is easy to automate. Let’s be honest, there is a lot of basic office work that fits that description. That does not mean those jobs will disappear overnight. But it does mean that people in those roles should start expanding their skills. Standing still is the riskiest move of all.

Skills related to AI are already in high demand. We see growth in data science, software development, and AI system design. But this is not only about people who build AI. Most workers will need to learn how to work with AI. For a while, we talked a lot about prompt engineering. That still matters. But the bigger picture is this: AI will handle part of the workflow, and humans will handle the rest.

Imagine a job with 20 steps. Maybe AI does the first 10. A human still needs to understand the output, check it, improve it, and make final decisions. That human role is critical. It requires judgment, creativity, and responsibility. Those are very human skills.

Leaders face an even bigger challenge. If you run a business or manage a team, you can’t ignore this shift. You need to redesign how your company works with AI in mind. Not because it is trendy, but because it is about survival. People often say AI won’t take your job, but someone who uses AI will. On a larger scale, it’s not AI that puts companies out of business. It’s AI-driven companies that outperform those that refuse to adapt.

At the same time, we need to be honest about the cost of AI. AI is not free. It uses a lot of energy. It requires expensive infrastructure and software. Big tech companies have invested billions, and at some point, they will expect a return. That means not everything should be automated just because it can be. We have to choose carefully where AI adds real value.

There are also hidden costs. Training people takes time and money. In one recent survey, about one in four professionals said they need serious upskilling to stay competitive. That is a big deal. The market will always move toward what is most efficient. The companies that invest in both technology and people are the ones that will win.

Some organizations will move fast. Others will follow. That’s how it always goes. But in times like these, being bold often pays off.

Education is where this all begins. For a long time, we have focused on diplomas and degrees. That is slowly changing. More employers care about what you can do, not where you studied. Many digital jobs today, like web developer or digital marketer, do not require a formal degree. They require proven skills.

I believe we need to fully shift from credential-based education to skills-based education. That means teaching students practical abilities they can actually use. It also means using AI as part of the learning process. We should teach AI, but we should also use AI to teach.

This moment is not just about job loss. It is about job change. If we prepare people with the right skills, the future of work can be full of opportunity. But we have to start now.

 

About Me:

Dominic “Doc” Ligot is one of the leading voices in AI in the Philippines. Doc has been extensively cited in local and global media outlets including The Economist, South China Morning Post, Washington Post, and Agence France Presse. His award-winning work has been recognized and published by prestigious organizations such as NASA, Data.org, Digital Public Goods Alliance, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF.

If you need guidance or training in maximizing AI for your career or business, reach out to Doc via https://docligot.com.

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