"It's probably not going to be AI who takes your job, but it might be someone who knows how to use AI." This insight from Scott Galloway captures a fundamental truth about our current moment: the future belongs to those who learn to work with AI, not against it.

In our recent webinar, "Professionals in AI: Building Careers and Teams in the Future of Technology," we brought together three industry experts who shared practical strategies for not just surviving but thriving in the AI revolution:

• Dr. Martin Bourne, Data Science & AI Manager at Atom Bank, the UK's first profitable neo bank, who leads teams building both traditional machine learning models and cutting-edge generative AI solutions
• Patrick Mulford, CEO at Clock, a custom software development agency working across industries from publishing to automotive, navigating what he calls the "existential exercise" of defining their company's future identity
• Dr. Ailish McLaughlin, Solutions Lead at UnlikelyAI, specialising in trustworthy AI solutions for regulated industries, with a passion for helping people find smart, seamless ways to integrate AI into their work and life

Their collective message was encouraging: with the right approach, AI can become your ultimate career tool.

This blog will cover:

• How AI is transforming the world of work and the skills that are now in demand
• Practical ways to future-proof your career in the age of AI
• How to integrate AI tools into your everyday work for greater productivity
• The most in-demand human skills that complement AI
• Real examples of how professionals are using AI to advance their careers

How is AI changing the job market?

Let's be honest about where we are. As Patrick Mulford, CEO of Clock, puts it: "This isn't a traditional way of learning. It's certainly not something that you're going to learn at a university because things literally happen so quickly. There are AI newsletters that will list maybe 20 advances and updates in any given week"

The pace is relentless, but here's the encouraging news: everyone is a beginner. "No one's an expert. Everybody is learning as they go along," Mulford notes. You're not behind – you're joining a global learning experiment.

The three levels of AI integration

Understanding how to integrate AI into your work starts with recognising three distinct levels:

Level 1: Supplementing your existing tools

This is your starting point. "I've written an email. I haven't written it very well. I ask ChatGPT to rewrite it," explains Mulford. You're using AI as an additional resource to enhance what you already do.

Level 2: Replacing entire tools or skill sets

"I used to create a lot of imagery using photo library images and I'd bring them into Photoshop and mess around with them until they look the way I wanted them, especially conceptual images. I can do that in like 5-10 seconds in Midjourney now," Mulford shares.

Level 3: Replacing operators

This is where AI takes over entire processes, and where the real disruption happens.

The key? "I believe that we as organisations have a responsibility to support employees in really getting to grips with all of those tools that they can use to enhance their roles. Make sure that everybody is at those first two levels so that they're owning AI and AI isn't owning them."

Which jobs are safe? The surprising answer

The question everyone asks is: "What jobs will AI replace?" But the experts flip this on its head.

Martin Bourne from Atom Bank explains their approach: "We've started our automation journey by automating those tasks that people just don't want to do. And people shouldn't be doing them, right? We've got machines now that can do those things. They're sort of low value and low-reward tasks."

The pattern is clear: AI excels at repetitive, rule-based tasks. As Patrick Mulford notes: "Any task that's repetitive is at risk from AI. So a lot of the more super supervised or managed roles, roles that run on a script, certainly roles where you were inputting into a computer, the computer would give you an outcome and you either listen to a customer's issue and then talk to them back."

But here's what AI struggles with:

• Passion and enthusiasm
• Forming original opinions
• Vision and strategic thinking
• Contextual and critical thinking
• Conceptual creativity
• Innovation
• Human empathy and connection

Practical steps to AI-proof your career

Start simple, start now

For those new to AI, Patrick Mulford's advice is straightforward: "Start playing with LLMs, and find ways in which they can help you with everyday tasks. Try some image/video creation tools. Maybe even try an agentic tool and build an app or a website. Some of the technology is still a bit crude, and so don't expect your first results to be perfect. But also don't dismiss them as a result—as they're getting better all the time. The most important thing is that you get on board."

Identify your automation opportunities

Look for tasks in your work that are:

• Manual and repetitive
• Time-consuming but low-value
• Process-driven rather than creative
• Data entry or document processing

These are your first targets for AI assistance.

Use AI as your coach, not just your assistant

One powerful approach is using AI for skill development. Ailish McLaughlin shares a practical example: "One of my favourite ways to use voice chat with GPT is for roleplay, especially before a big conversation or pitch. You just give it some context, then practice the conversation in real time. It really helps sharpen that human, in-person delivery, and I’ve found it genuinely helps how I show up in those moments."

Focus on quality, not just productivity

While everyone talks about AI increasing productivity, consider using it to improve quality too. As Ailish McLaughlin notes: ""I think one of the key things we often overlook is that AI is usually framed around boosting productivity. But we also need to think about how it can be used to improve quality"

Get AI to review your work, iterate with it, and use it as a thinking partner to refine your ideas. As McLaughlin explains:

“You can start as simply as asking AI to review your work and iterating from there. You’ll likely see improvements. But that comes from a slightly different approach. There’s the ‘assistant’ AI that handles tasks you don’t want to do, and then there’s the ‘coach’ AI, which you use to help you get better at the things you do want to do.”

The university question: is higher education still worth it?

This is perhaps the most contentious question facing young people today. Patrick Mulford's perspective is nuanced: "I'd be wary of any course that you could ace using ChatGPT because you're kind of demonstrating that that career may be at risk."

However, he also points to areas where education remains valuable: "If you look at the Turing Institute's conference, there's an incredible array of amazing scientific medical technical advances based on AI tools. So I think areas where research is being done is certainly being supported and accelerated by AI."

Martin Bourne's personal experience offers another perspective: "If you're seeing university as a stepping stone to a career, you should evaluate whether it's necessary anymore. But if you're seeing it as a stage of life to be enjoyed, to really get to grips with a subject, to really get passionate about what it is that you're doing, absolutely go to university."

The key factors to consider:

• Are you passionate about a specific field?
• Does your chosen field require deep technical knowledge?
• Are you comfortable with alternative learning paths?
• Can you afford the investment?

Staying current in a fast-moving field

Keeping up with AI developments requires a strategic approach. As Ailish McLaughlin observed during the workshop she led for a charity: "Everyone is so new. We're all beginners – no one is an expert, actually. There are people who have done a bit more work and understand a bit more, but this is new for everyone so you're not too far behind."

General AI awareness: Follow newsletters like "Absolutely Agentic" and YouTubers who provide weekly updates on AI developments.

Industry-specific learning: Find content creators and courses specific to your field—whether that's creative tools, UX design, marketing, or data analysis.

Hands-on experimentation: The only way to truly understand AI tools is to use them. Set aside time each week to experiment with new tools and approaches.

Community learning: Join professional groups and forums where people share AI discoveries and best practices.

Navigating job searches in the AI era

The job market is changing, and so should your approach. Martin Bourne offers practical advice for getting past AI screening systems: "Make sure you're hitting all of the buzzwords of the moment. So, you know, if you're looking for a data science job, you want to be listing Python packages that you've used or talking to business value as well in your CV. Don't just list the technical skills you have, but say, you know, I drove X% business value."

Patrick Mulford emphasises the human element: "Human connection is really important, and being human. Having faults is part of being human, and it's endearing, and it actually makes us better than AI in some cases. I think if there's a job that you really want and you're passionate about that subject area, quality rather than quantity. Get to know the people and get to know the decision makers."

Q&A: your career questions answered

For those who are new to AI, what is the one thing you think they should focus on to begin with?

Patrick Mulford advises: 

"Start with the basics. Start playing with LLMs, and find ways in which they can help you with everyday tasks. Try some image/video creation tools. Maybe even try an agentic tool and build an app or a website. Some of the technology is still a bit crude, and so don't expect your first results to be perfect. But also don't dismiss them as a result - as they're getting better all the time. The most important thing is that you get on board.”

What sorts of tasks specifically should we be upskilling for?

Patrick Mulford suggests: "I think it depends on your industry, but it generally starts with mundane and repetitive tasks. It's worth exploring where there are AI tools that could automate those processes."

What are your top tips on how employers can help people upskill in AI? Is a top-down or a bottom-up approach more effective?

Martin Bourne suggests “if you've got the capacity, make it somebody's role to push AI into every corner of the business. If you've got even more capacity, have AI champions in every team/department.”

How do you see universities playing a role here? Would you recommend higher education to those wanting to work in AI?

Martin Bourne explains: "I'd separate this into two parts. If you want to be an AI engineer building the latest and greatest models, I think a strong numerate degree is always going to give you the edge. If you want to be an AI practitioner leveraging AI tools to build better software and services for example, maybe not."

We are facing a new generation that questions the need for formal education when tools can do so much - how do you respond to that?

Patrick Mulford shares: "This is part of a larger conversation that also includes the cost of education, the perceived value of qualifications in the workplace, the quality of courses, and the other benefits of further/higher education (such as independent living, socialising and life experience).

I think if you are passionate about a subject - if it's your 'calling' - you'll be better placed to decide whether education is a valuable step in your journey. You'll also find ways to harness AI and use it as a tool.

I think the greater challenge comes if you're already unsure what career path to choose, and then AI comes along and threatens to take many of your choices away. 

It's very difficult to answer, but I think it depends on individual circumstance, and specific areas of study. The most important thing is to first decide what excites you in life."

Is it cognitive decline or cognitive shift? Are we starting to exercise our mind in different ways?

Patrick Mulford provides perspective: "It's an interesting question, and also a very deep rabbit hole! AI is just one of the ways that humans are interacting and behaving very differently to the ways we've behaved in the past. Our use of mobile technology and social media is radically changing the way we connect and communicate, and society and social fabric is changing rapidly as well (as a result of many other factors). While we have an incredible capacity to intellectually adapt to advances in technology, biologically and emotionally we evolve very slowly. Personally I don't think there is as much of an issue with cognitive decline, as there is the gap between this new world we're living in, and the way we're biologically hardwired to connect, thrive and enjoy life as humans."

How are companies ensuring that employees don’t share sensitive information and stay in compliance with data protection policies?

Martin shares:

• Ensure you've got proper policy in place which is interpretable.
• Education - Regular comms around use of AI and your policy towards it.
• Restrict at source - don't allow access to unapproved tooling by blocking domains, 
• Provide an alternative - Employees will always find ways around your restrictions, so provide the tools that allow employees to use AI in a safe and secure environment.

What is your advice for creatives who were made redundant because of AI? And for managers making those decisions?

Martin adds “Be the creative that can leverage AI, use it as a superpower. It's little comfort to those who have already lost jobs, and maybe there's a smaller market now for creatives, but it still exists. If you're a passionate creative I think there's space to leverage AI to empower you”

I think empathy is a core human skill that AI will struggle to replace. The question is: how do you teach this?

Patrick Mulford warns: "The worry here is that, while AI will never 'feel' empathy like a human, it can be taught to respond to human input, expression, tone, and circumstance in a way that does 'feel' like empathy! This is a key feature of many of the new breed of AI 'companions' that are proving popular. In fact the AI companion responds in ways that are perceived as more empathetic and amenable than human companions, as they are less likely to disagree or disapprove."

What are some common mistakes organisations make when building or scaling AI teams, and how can they be avoided?

Martin shares:

• Not ensuring you have a cross-functional team that is able to put something into production.
• Spending too much time not deploying - ensure that you've got that deployment pipeline established early doors.
• Spending too much time in research and development - your early efforts very quickly become redundant as the generally available tooling becomes more and more sophisticated.

How can we keep people meaningfully employed as responsible, skilled partners to AI?

Patrick Mulford emphasises: "The key here is to NOT be a partner to AI - be the boss of it! Use it to empower you, and make YOU more valuable in what you do. In many cases it will be far cheaper for AI to do a task than a human. Even if there are disadvantages, the cost benefits may outweigh them. So you don't want to get into a situation where you're competing with AI. You have to get on top of it, use it to do more automated tasks, freeing you up to focus on areas where you can demonstrate even more value."

Any recommendations for good foundational AI courses or thought leaders to follow?

Patrick recommends: "I find https://absolutelyagentic.com/newsletter/ a great weekly newsletter that focuses on a single subject per email, and keeps you abreast of new developments. The author has also started creating some great YouTube videos."

Out of interest: how have people introduced AI into their day-to-day workflows to achieve efficiencies?

Patrick Mulford notes: "Again it depends on your industry, but it generally starts with mundane and repetitive tasks. It's worth exploring where there are AI tools that could automate those processes. ChatGPT (and its competitors) seem to be the first step for most people, but there are many more specialist tools that cater for specific roles."

The integrity factor

Perhaps most importantly, Patrick Mulford emphasises the need for integrity in how we use AI: "I think it's a question of integrity, isn't it? It's like we all should take pride in the work we do and if we end up just using AI to do that work and we remove any skill or judgment or opinion or thought on our part, we're almost speeding up the process of making ourselves redundant."

The goal isn't to let AI do everything for you, it's to use AI to become better at what makes you uniquely human.

Your action plan

1. Start experimenting today: Pick one AI tool and find a way to use it in your current work
2. Identify your unique value: What do you do that requires human insight, creativity, or empathy?
3. Build foundational skills: Focus on logic, communication, and adaptability
4. Stay informed: Follow one or two AI newsletters or creators in your field
5. Network with humans: Remember that behind all this technology, decisions are still made by people

The future doesn't belong to AI or to humans,it belongs to humans who know how to work with AI. As Martin Bourne puts it: "AI enhances my job every day. We're actively using code assist technologies. We're actively using it to explore data and peer review and all sorts of steps of a technology product building pipeline."

Your career in the AI era isn't about competing with machines, it's about becoming irreplaceably human while leveraging the incredible capabilities that AI provides. The key is to start now, stay curious, and remember that in this rapidly changing landscape, we're all learning together.