Three worries about AI and my career
I was reminded of a post on X (Twitter) that went viral with more than 80 million views. It’s by Matt Shumer, the CEO of an AI startup in the US, and it’s called “Something Big Is Happening.”
I read it last month. It came back to me because its points touch on what I’ve been anxious about: my career, what I should be learning, and how to adapt to AI.
Is my career still safe?
That’s the first worry.
Remember February 2020? Covid still felt like distant news. We were still having coffee without a care, never imagining there’d be a lockdown.
Three weeks later? Offices closed. Schools closed. Everything changed.
Shumer says AI is at that same point now. And as the founder of an AI company, Shumer says they’re no longer needed for the technical side of their own work.
If even the founder is affected, it made me wonder about the rest of us.
Admin, data analysis, design, marketing, customer service, even law and finance: AI is starting to be able to do all of it.
We used to think “what’s safe is creativity and gut feeling.” It turns out the newest models are starting to manage that too.
That doesn’t mean it all disappears tomorrow. But if you work in front of a laptop every day, this is something to think about now. Not later.
This is what makes me anxious. And it seems a lot of people feel the same.
What should I learn?
The second worry. Shumer answers this directly: focus on two things.
- Learn to actually use AI at work. Not just asking it for a recipe or a joke for fun, but pushing it on real tasks: writing reports, research, analysis, presentations.
- Sharpen the skills AI can’t fully replace yet: decision making, building relationships, leadership, taste and judgment.
“Tools will get smarter. Judgment still compounds.”
AI keeps getting smarter. But what sets you apart is still the quality of human judgment.
“But I’ve tried ChatGPT, and it was just okay…” That’s the line I hear most often from friends.
Shumer’s answer: that’s understandable. What you tried back then still got a lot wrong.
But it’s very different now. Most people have only tried the free version, and that’s an old model. If you seriously use the latest version, it’s like talking to someone smarter than you in almost every field.
So don’t judge AI by your experience from a year ago. Try it again now.
How do I start adapting?
The third worry, and this is the most practical advice in the post.
Spend one hour a day experimenting with AI on new things at work. Do it for six months. Shumer says you’ll be far ahead of almost everyone around you.
If the result is bad on the first try, don’t give up right away. AI is like a new employee: the clearer the briefing, the better the result.
Shumer also says to treat 2026 as the year to take this seriously.
I’ve started putting this into practice myself. And honestly, I’m starting to feel the difference.
AI’s speed isn’t like climbing stairs. It’s like taking an elevator.
- 2022: struggled with elementary school math.
- 2023: passed the bar exam.
- 2024: built software.
- 2025: programmers handed their work over to AI.
- 2026: another generational leap.
AI is now helping build the next AI. It keeps getting faster.
What about our kids?
The part that kept me quiet the longest was about our kids.
The path we think of as safe (good grades, a top state university, an office job) might actually lead to the jobs that are easiest to replace.
What matters more: curiosity, adaptability, and going after the things they genuinely care about.
This isn’t just about technology. It’s about preparing the next generation.
After reading this, I didn’t panic. But I can’t relax either. Three points I took note of:
- No career in front of a laptop is guaranteed to be safe. Start adapting now.
- What to learn: how to use AI, plus the human skills that can’t be automated.
- How: one hour a day, consistently, on real work. Not just watching.
Read the full post by Matt Shumer on X.