AI & The Future of Work - The Thinking Lens

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AI & The Future of Work

A collection of 9 posts

Your Career Is a Story: Lessons From a 'Syntax Error'

AI & The Future of Work

Your Career Is a Story: Lessons From a 'Syntax Error'

I had the incredible opportunity to speak to a 9th-grade class for their Career Day. Instead of presenting a job title, I chose to share the journey. It was a wonderful exercise in reflection, reminding me that our careers are not ladders, but mosaics we build from curiosity, challenges, and

The ChatGPT Report and The Enterprise Blind Spot

Data-Informed Decision-Making

The ChatGPT Report and The Enterprise Blind Spot

OpenAI’s ChatGPT usage report is consumer-only, so enterprise signal is skewed. Still clear: AI is a copilot. Writing dominates, most of it editing. Younger users drive volume; older pros drive work. B2B: prioritize decision support, co-creation, embedded copilots, governance.

PAIR: A Simple Model for AI-Accelerated Apprenticeship

Organizational Design & Culture

PAIR: A Simple Model for AI-Accelerated Apprenticeship

AI should speed work, not erase the training ground. A Seniors-only + AI model boosts short-term output but drains your pipeline and increases risk. Try Senior + Junior + AI: juniors draft with AI, seniors inspect thinking. Treat mentorship as first-class work and measure it. Build great teams. Now.

The Parrot and the Library: Why AI Won't Kill Search (It Will Crown It)

AI & The Future of Work

The Parrot and the Library: Why AI Won't Kill Search (It Will Crown It)

AI will not kill search; it crowns whoever controls a fresh index. Synthesis engines give fast answers but depend on live, trusted crawling for freshness, coverage, and provenance. The future is hybrid: shelves and summaries, with winners owning both discovery and explanation. Clicks fund freshness.

From “Content Is King” to “Judgment Is the Crown”: Rethinking Authority in the AI Era

Communication & Influence

From “Content Is King” to “Judgment Is the Crown”: Rethinking Authority in the AI Era

Content isn't king anymore. AI makes endless "good" content; trust and judgment are scarce. Your lived experience, context, and perspective are the differentiator. Use AI as leverage, not a crutch. Earn attention by solving sharp problems for real people and building credibility. Own your voice. Go.

Control, Delegate, or Disappear: Thriving in the Age of AI Agents

AI & The Future of Work

Control, Delegate, or Disappear: Thriving in the Age of AI Agents

Agents aren't UX upgrades. They're decision-makers. Mistaking automation for intelligence is a strategic failure. The shift is from operating tools to governing outcomes. Delegate objectives, embed escalation and governance, or your product becomes invisible in an agent-led economy. Govern it. Now

AI and the Speed Trap: Why Reskilling Alone Won't Save You

AI & The Future of Work

AI and the Speed Trap: Why Reskilling Alone Won't Save You

AI won't erase jobs; speed will. The stability-to-obsolete window is collapsing. Stop chasing perishable skills like prompt engineering. Invest in durable capabilities: problem framing, systems thinking, learning velocity, and influence to thrive through constant role shifts.

When AI Turns Your Product System Into a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

AI & The Future of Work

When AI Turns Your Product System Into a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

AI now shapes product strategy, not just predicts it. Left unquestioned, it becomes a prophecy engine: reinforcing biases, narrowing options, and derailing learning. Treat AI as input, test counterfactuals, review second-order effects, and keep humans in the reasoning loop. Question it. Validate it.

Harnessing the IKEA Effect for AI-First Products

Product Strategy & Leadership

Harnessing the IKEA Effect for AI-First Products

We love what we build, even when imperfect. That’s the IKEA Effect: effort creates value. In SaaS, let users build: templates, safe drafts, sharing, audit trails, so they feel ownership. Co-create with AI as copilot or constructor. Earn loyalty with portability, not lock-in. Show ownership clearly.