Is Something Big about to Happen to Careers?

Matt Shumer is the CEO and co-founder of OthersideAI. He has been at the forefront of AI innovation, particularly in automating communications. His recent article “Something Big is Happening” has racked upmore than 60 million views on X alone and has become quite a divisive piece, with some calling it ‘scaremongering by someone who likes to sell big’ and some strongly agreeing with his views.

Regardless of the extent of your knowledge of AI and your opinions on his essay, his key messages are well worth reflecting upon. In the article, Shumer claims AI progress is far faster andmore capable than most people realise. He compares the current moment to February 2020, a period when warning signs of COVID were already visible to some but ignored by most. Today’s situation, he argues, feels similar. Most people underestimate how quickly AI will transform work and society.

In the article, Shumer argues that knowledge work (any work done on a computer including coding, writing, legalresearch, analysis, customer service) is coming under serious pressure from AI and that this disruption isn’t far off but already unfolding for some groups. He cites predictions (for example from Anthropic’s CEO) that up to ~50%of entry-level knowledge jobs could be replaced in 1–5 years and says many insiders think that might be conservative.

As career advisors, reflecting upon the implications of this is important and whilst not all of his predictions will land exactly, to futureproof careers, knowledge workers may need to consider incorporating alternate strategies within their career plans.

With specific reference to IT and digital careers (although these can be extrapolated out to other disciplines), some key takeaways and reflections from our analysis of his article include:

Shift From “Doer” to “Orchestrator”

Move from writing code line-by-line to designing systems AI builds so that your value becomes deciding what should be built and how it fits together, not typing it.

Develop strength in:

• Architecture
• Requirements clarity
• Systems thinking
• Technical trade-off decisions

Become an AI PowerUser (Not a Casual User)

Use advanced AI deeply and daily.

Invest in premium AI tools.

Become an expert at prompting AI, building workflows and track your time saved and the quality differences.

Build Judgment — AI Still Lacks It Fully

Even if AI shows “taste” (as Shumer words it), organisations still need:

• Risk assessment
• Security oversight
• Regulatory interpretation
• Ethical decision-making
• Stakeholder management

These are slow-moving, high-trust domains and key skills that organisations of the future will value.

The impact AI presents to today and tomorrow’s workforces is undoubtedly significant. Workers throughout time have equally faced daunting developments that have impacted careers and whilst the pace of AI change may dwarf other times, how we respond to and harness this opportunity can define the worker of the future.

Whether sensationalising or appropriately forewarning, Shumer’s key points are well worth digesting:

• Current frontier AI is much more capable than public perception suggests
• It is already automating significant parts of expert work in some context
• This trend is accelerating and likely to affect most knowledge  work within a short time horizon
• People should actively engage withthe technology now rather than dismiss it

To read his full article, click here and if you wish to connect and explore how deliberatepractice’s work in careers and organisational change can support your business, contact us.

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