Module 1: The Job Survival Question
Which Jobs Survive AI
Seven hundred jobs. One company. One AI deployment. One month.
If that doesn't make you pay attention to the "will AI take my job?" question, nothing will.
The Wrong Question (And the Right One)
"Will AI take my job?" is the question everyone asks. It's also the wrong question โ because it assumes a binary: your job exists or it doesn't.
The reality is messier and more interesting. Most jobs won't be eliminated wholesale. They'll be transformed โ some tasks automated, others augmented, new ones created. The real question is: "Which parts of my job are vulnerable, which parts become more valuable, and how do I shift toward the valuable parts?"
That reframing changes everything. It moves you from passive anxiety to active strategy.
Why "This Time Is Different" Is Actually True
Every technology shift produces the same reassuring narrative: "They said ATMs would replace bank tellers, and there are more tellers than ever!" This is misleading.
ATMs didn't replace tellers โ they reduced the cost per branch, so banks opened more branches, which required more tellers doing different work. But here's the thing: AI doesn't just automate one physical task. It automates cognitive tasks across nearly every job category simultaneously.
Previous automation: replaced specific physical actions (assembly line robots, ATMs, self-checkout)
AI automation: replaces thinking tasks โ writing, analysing, coding, diagnosing, advising, creating
Goldman Sachs estimated that generative AI could automate 25% of all work tasks globally. McKinsey put the figure at 30% of hours worked by 2030. The IMF said 40% of jobs worldwide are exposed to AI.
These aren't fringe predictions. They're from the most conservative institutions in economics.
Why is the impact of AI on jobs described as 'this time is different' compared to previous technological revolutions?
The Klarna Effect Is Everywhere
Klarna isn't unique. It's just honest about the numbers:
- Duolingo laid off roughly 10% of its contractors after integrating AI into content creation
- IBM paused hiring for 7,800 back-office roles that AI could handle
- Chegg (homework help) lost 50% of its stock value in one day after ChatGPT launched
- BT Group announced plans to cut 55,000 jobs by 2030, with AI replacing a significant portion
- UPS cut 12,000 jobs in 2024, citing technology and automation improvements
This isn't a future scenario. It's happening right now, in real companies, affecting real people.
Complete this statement about framing AI and jobs.
What This Course Will Give You
Over the next 11 modules, we'll build a complete framework for understanding your position:
- The Automation Equation โ what determines if a task gets automated
- High-risk and low-risk job categories โ with specific analysis
- How jobs transform rather than simply disappear
- New jobs AI creates โ some don't exist yet
- Skills that protect you โ and how to develop them
- Your personal assessment โ a structured evaluation of your position
- Your resilience plan โ concrete actions, not vague advice
By the end, you won't just understand the landscape. You'll have a strategy.
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Create a detailed task inventory for your current role:
1. List every task you do in a typical week (aim for at least 10)
2. Estimate the hours spent on each
3. For each, note whether it's primarily: information processing, creative thinking, relationship management, physical action, or judgment/decision-making
4. Flag which ones you think AI could handle today
5. Calculate: what percentage of your work hours are in "AI-vulnerable" tasks?
Keep this inventory โ we'll refine it throughout the course.
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- 1"Will AI take my job?" is the wrong question โ ask which parts of your job are vulnerable and which become more valuable
- 2AI automates cognitive tasks across every job category simultaneously โ this is fundamentally different from previous automation
- 3Real companies are already cutting thousands of roles (Klarna, IBM, BT, UPS) โ this isn't theoretical
- 425-40% of work tasks globally are estimated to be exposed to AI automation
- 5The goal of this course: move from anxiety to strategy with a personal action plan