Model for thinking about which jobs will be disrupted by AI

The explosion of generative AI has seemingly come out of nowhere and caught people by surprise, despite it being around for nearly 10 years, since Googleโ€™s DeepDream in 2015 (NOTE: the first ever AI generated art dates back to the early 1970โ€™s but was done with abstract shapes).

The modern versions of generative AI are quite impressive and have people worried about how this is going to change certain industries, primarily creative ones like podcasting, illustration, and writing.

The video below talks about a simple question you can ask to determine which areas AI will influence and which are safe.

In particular, this video will be most helpful for one of two groups of people:

  1. People that work in potentially affected industries.

  2. People designing products using the technology.

๐Ÿ”‘ Key takeaway for Product Managers

Vibing with a human truth is like catching a wave, violating one is like swimming upstream.

๐Ÿ”‘ Key skill for Product Managers

Develop your understanding of human truths, especially if you build consumer products.

๐Ÿ”‘ Key points from the video

  • There's a simple rule to discover whether something is at risk of AI disruption.

  • A human truth prevents AI disruption in many areas.

  • Uncanny valleys exist for generative AI and will slow adoption (like it did with robots).

  • AI will change a lot but it won't (can't) change everything.