Let’s be realistic | AI Is Coming for Your Job

The conversation around AI has stopped being a futuristic "what if" and has become a very real, "Is this coming for my job?" question.

I was listening to the Prof G Markets podcast, and Scott Galloway, along with Ed Elson, skipped the usual "but AI will create new jobs" comfort blanket. They jumped straight to the "elephant in the room" - the short-term job destruction that is already happening.

This isn't some distant 2030 problem. This is a right now problem.

The Jobs on the Line

Galloway and Elson pointed to the massive layoffs we’re all seeing- 30.000 at Amazon, 24.000 at Intel, 7.000 at Microsoft. A large part of that isn't just "restructuring", AI is simply making things more efficient.

They also referenced a Microsoft study naming the jobs at the highest risk of automation. And it’s a list of core white-collar professions:

• Sales Representatives

• Customer Service Representatives

• Ticket and Travel Agents

• Public Relations Specialists

• Analysts (Management, News, Market Research)

Yes, Public Relations is on the list. Many skills we rely on such as writing, research, and analysis - are things AI is learning to do very quickly.

Here’s the real issue they highlighted: AI is creating "total transparency" in the workplace. New tools can now track everything - how often you send emails, when you log in, and what you are actually doing all day.

The days of just "looking busy" are over. If you aren't delivering clear, measurable value, it will become very obvious.

So, what's the plan? Hiding is not a strategy. As Galloway said: "If you're invisible, then it's very easy to cut you off."

A 3-Step Playbook for Staying Relevant

The podcast offered a brilliant plan - not simply surviving, but about becoming the person they cannot afford to lose.

1. Be Visible to the Decision-Maker

This is a core PR principle, just applied internally. When cuts are being made, the axe falls on the names no one recognizes. You must "identify the decision-maker... and establish a personal relationship." Make sure they know who you are and exactly what value you bring. Don't be just a name on a spreadsheet.

2. Brand Yourself as "The AI Person"

This is the most important move. It’s not enough to just use AI to be more efficient. You must brand yourself as the in-house expert who understands this new technology.

• Write about AI on LinkedIn.

• Talk about how it’s changing the PR industry.

• Show leadership how you are using AI to "turbocharge the business."

The goal here is simple. You want the boss to think, "Things are changing fast. I can't fire the one person who actually understands this AI stuff."

3. Have an Opinion

This is the one thing AI cannot do.

As Galloway put it: "AI is very good at analytics, but it's very bad at having an opinion."

AI can give you 10 different options, all perfectly logical. But it can't decide. It can't take a side.

So, your "alpha"- your true, irreplaceable value is the ability to look at all the data and say with conviction, "I see all the different paths. This is the one we should take and here's why…"

That’s not just analysis. That’s strategy. That’s leadership.

The Long-Term Strategy - Embrace Reinvention

The final, and most important, point is about reinvention. The podcast urges us to "just acknowledge" that AI might, in fact, take your job.

The solution is not to be ashamed, but to reinvent. The speakers gave powerful examples, and this is the key:

• Vera Wang was a figure skater before she became a legendary designer.

• Martha Stewart was a stockbroker before she became a media mogul.

• Reed Hastings was a math teacher before he founded Netflix.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger was a bodybuilder, then an actor, then the governor of California.

These successful people were not "ashamed to say I used to be this and now I'm this." They took stock of their talents, rebranded themselves, and built new careers.

As PR professionals, this is what we do best. Our entire job is about branding, narrative, and strategic positioning. The threat from AI is real, but we have the exact skills we need to navigate this change and succeed.

Don't be invisible. Be the expert. And have an opinion. That's how you stay indispensable.

Good luck!