How Can Workers Prepare for the Workplace AI Tsunami?

Fears of widespread unemployment spiked after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei claimed that AI could eliminate half of all white collar jobs.

This week's employment headline was enough to strike mortal fear in the hearts and minds of millions of knowledge workers.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei took to Axios to predict that, in the next five years, AI [could] eliminate half of all white collar jobs.

The headline fell especially hard on members of the Class of 2025, many of whom are now seeking entry-level work at companies. Turns out, high school and college did little to prepare them for work in companies where projects flow via AI augmentation and automation.

It was just a couple of years ago when Mom and Dad sent their kiddos to expensive after-school coding academies. Most of those establishments are no longer in operation; AI rendered them useless.

And it's not just entry-level talent that find themselves at risk for unemployment. Whole classes of work done by white collar and blue collar talent will soon be impacted by agentic AI that will render many jobs obsolete.

As a former recruiter, I do get LinkedIn messages from people asking how they or their kids should prepare for the AI tsunami. It's a tricky question, but I often start with this:

Learn how to write exceptionally well, for agentic AI is driven by human prompts.

Then, learn everything you can about how agentic AI works, and benefits workplaces, so you are best able to harness its growing power, sophistication, and potential.

And last, follow religiously insight from workplace AI thought-leaders and Ram Srinivasan in particular.

One trend that I haven't read or heard discussed is how AI may spark entrepreneurism.

But I do think that more of us will pivot to work as independent contractors or for start-ups powered by AI. There will be other factors rendering more of us entrepreneurs, think the unavoidable impact of tariffs on companies, but I do believe that AI will allow people greater self-determination in life and career.

And that gets more of us to work fit where work becomes a wonderful part of the day doing other wonderful things.

One last point: I'm not buying the hype that we're entering a "terrible decade" for employment.

Instead, I know that our best days lie ahead.

Note: image rendered on ChatGPT 4o based on our prompts.

I’m Dan Smolen. As host and executive producer of WHAT'S YOUR WORK FIT? I help you make your work and workplace decisions result in better and more satisfying professional experiences and outcomes. I am also a Founding Member of The Future of Work Alliance.