How AI Is Changing the Workforce

On humanity over skills, keeping an open mind, and the value of emotional intelligence

I’m incredibly bullish on AI.

In fact, I truly believe that if you’re not setting aside at least one hour every day to explore, learn, ask questions and utilize this rapidly developing technology, you’re setting yourself up to be left behind. The more I touch on this topic, the more I notice something troubling in my comments: so many of you are so consumed by your fear of what’s new and different that you’re unwilling to try.

Look, it’s OK to be scared. I’ve stayed up late at night thinking about how AI will impact my businesses, including VaynerMedia. It’s OK to not know or be uncertain about the future!

But I’m not here to convince you of anything. Those who live in a world of “no” will continue to be suffocated by fear. Meanwhile, those who operate with a “yes” or “maybe” mentality will win. That being said, I don’t want any of you to be on the losing side of the AI era, because, and let there be no confusion, the era has only just begun.

So, I want to take this opportunity to dive deep into what’s behind these fears, how AI will change the future of the workforce for all of us, and how you should be using AI now to prepare for what’s to come.

AI Is Inevitable, Not Optional

The first thing to understand is that technology doesn’t care about your opinions; it just keeps moving.

I’m not pushing my community and all of my employees to learn about AI just because I want to. I’m doing it because I have no choice. This is the reality we’re facing, and I know because we’ve faced it before. Technology shifts have always happened: the tractor, the car, the computer, the plane, the boat, the sword, books. These were all things that changed the world in big ways.

Fear is often the reaction to these big changes, but I promise you that it will get you nowhere. Rather than being afraid, why not take this opportunity to get ahead of the curve while so many are still asleep?

Look, I’ve been tracking technology for 30 years pretty aggressively. I was right about e-commerce in 1995, ‘96. I’ve been “on it” and I’ve never seen anything like the current moment with AI. The only comparison in modern times is the introduction of the internet itself.

When I launched an e-commerce site in 1996 in the wine space, people made fun of me for not opening up another physical store instead. And most people don’t realize that in a 36-month window, I built the largest wine store in the country because I had a technological advantage. I was already “good,” but going all in on e-commerce meant I had a better “weapon” than everyone else.

Well, AI is a weapon, and you must must must start using it every day.

This Is a Mount Rushmore-Level Shift

Everyone’s life is going to be completely engulfed by this technology.

This technology sits in the Mount Rushmore of human innovations. This is electricity. This is like when the plane was invented like this is going to change the calculus in a very substantial way.

Of course, we must be thoughtful and understand the macro impacts of massive new technologies, but too many of you are staying away or demonizing AI out of fear it will make you lose your job, or hurt you financially. The reality is, this is actually your biggest opportunity, maybe ever, to grow, expand, and create your dreams.

I’m empathetic that you might not like that AI is happening, but let there be no confusion, it IS happening. There’s a massive wave coming and everyone is on the beach front with two choices. Most people are putting their heads in the sand; crossing their fingers, holding their breath, and hoping the wave passes. The people who will win are grabbing a surfboard and preparing to catch that wave. I hope that’s you.

I like spending a lot of time thinking about tomorrow, but I don’t like wasting my time on tomorrow, which is what I think a lot of people make a mistake about. And I definitely don’t like being excited about yesterday.

Do you realize the serendipity of your career and put you in a place where you can understand this stuff more? And more importantly, do people in this organization know that the customer service CX leaders in this room actually could become one of the loudest voices within the organization alongside a CTO or CIO around the effectiveness or the realities of these tools because you’re coming from a place of practitioner-ship and practicality, not academia and thesis.

I launched the e-commerce website in 1997. It was one of the first three to four e-commerce wine retail sites in America. And I remind all of you that in business like sports, speed is a big advantage.

How AI Will Change the Workforce

When it comes to the topic of AI, it always boils down to the same concern: Will AI eliminate our jobs? The truth is, yes, some jobs may become obsolete, but there will also be many new opportunities for growth and advancement for those who are ready to adapt.

For employees, it becomes a matter of, how can you use AI to level up your skills and make your eight-hour day dramatically more impactful and productive? How do you take a task that once took you an hour and a half to complete and reduce it to 15 minutes? Most importantly, think about how much more of an asset you become when you work with AI instead of against it.

For business owners and companies, this is major. It’s not necessarily about how many people you can fire and replace with AI, it’s about leveraging AI to retain the best of the best talent and increase your revenue with roughly the same overhead.

The truth is, AI will change the workforce as we know it. Instead of hiring people to “do,” we’ll be hiring people to “think.” Those who are able to use AI as a partner to think, strategize, and create will rise to the top.

The Architect vs. The Mason

Think about it this way. In life, there are two groups: architects and masons. The architect has the vision, lays out the plan, and oversees its execution. The mason does the physical labor and lays the bricks.

I believe that, in the world that’s coming, a lot of that labor will be done by AI. Many of the tasks that drive our industries every day will be done much quicker and much more efficiently, so I ask you, where does that leave the masons?

You want to win in the new world? You need to become the architect.

If you’re reading this right now and you know that most of your job is taking commands from other people, you may be in trouble. On the other hand, if you can make that strategic pivot from a doer to a thinker, there’s no need to fear AI. In fact, it will only make you stronger.

Be a Practitioner, Not an Observer

I think it starts with execution. I think the biggest thing I’m actually asking and the biggest thing that I would implore all of you to do, not knowing how senior some of you are or where you are in the organization, you must become a practitioner of these tools. This is very important.

This is not something you should know on paper. This is something you should know deeply because that knowledge shows up.

Tools are only as good as the mechanic using them. Right? The ROI of a basketball for LeBron James is billions of dollars. The ROI of basketball for me is two torn meniscuses and probably a negative $50,000. This tool doesn’t do the work for you. You do the work.

Humility is often the gateway to success and happiness. This would be a really good time to be professionally humble and get your hands very dirty on every AI tool you possibly can.

Why the Most Human Will Win in an AI World

The more we become like the Jetsons, my belief is those who act like the Flintstones will win.

My belief was in 2011 that technology would do what it’s done, it would commoditize much, but it was the humans that knew how to be the most human that would actually win by weaponizing or understanding those tools.

Now, I had heard of AI concepts back then, but that’s not really what I was alluding to. It was more that I was alluding to if you treated Twitter and Facebook and Instagram not to just post stuff with the hope that you get something, but you get into the comments and the DMs and you actually care about people and you listen to what they say and you actually engage with them, you could win.

We can have such meaningful impact with our human part while the AI part continues to grow and become psycho-expert on AI and then become remarkably good at understanding what becomes double offense on human capabilities that are not replaceable in an AI world.

As we become more AI-ed out and more tech-ed out, it’s the people that are most human that will win. And I think we need to think about that.

Customer Service and Customer Experience Are the Front Line

I genuinely believe that anyone who is in customer service and customer experience in this exact second is uncomfortably fortunate.

You have found yourselves in a sector and industry that is first potentially first very clearly one of the industries that is going to move first hardest fastest in integrating AI.

Out of all the things in the world that one could be doing for a living right now, this is one of the most meaningful sectors that will most taste the impact of this extraordinary technology.

You will look back at this moment with either phenomenal joy of the serendipity or with regret that you did not squeeze the opportunity harder.

You really do. You’re already using it. You’re already in it. And I could not recommend more. You not live with regret and let this moment pass. You’re in the right spot. Squeeze it. Take advantage of it.

More Emphasis on Humanity Over Skills

What are humans going to do in this new AI-scaled world? More human sh*t.

In fact, everybody who’s been listening to me talk for 15 years about soft skills and emotional intelligence, you’re ahead of the game because with AI, “skills” mean nothing to me.

As a business owner in this new world, I don’t need information from you, I don’t need processes. Editing? Filming? Okay, cool, but we’re going to be able to do those things for ridiculously lower costs with these new apps and technologies.

The fact is, skill is a commodity, and it’s about to become an even bigger commodity with AI.

What I really need from employees is humanity. Teamwork, self-esteem. I need to know how you’re dealing with adversity, feedback, and stress. In the era of AI, I think mindset matters above all, and only then do I start caring about skill. I think this will be the same for many employers.

EQ is about to eat up the oxygen of the world, and that means humanity, not skill, is at the tippy top of my list, and it’s about to really f*cking matter.

How to Use AI Right Now (Voice, Depth, Prompting)

I encourage every one of you to spend an hour every day using AI. It starts with using chatbot apps like ChatGPT and Perplexity. You can use them as a search engine, yes, but you can also use them as a thinking partner to work through different projects or problems.

The number one thing I use AI for by a country mile is to think with me.

I prompt only in voice because I am a much better communicator in voice than I can write. Now it’s like my friend. ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini are like my homies — they’re my thinking partners.

More people need to learn how to prompt AI better and use it to their advantage. For example, I did a 39-minute prompt not long ago. I’m serious. If you’re unbelievably curious and unbelievably detailed and unbelievably human, you will get great answers.

So, start going much deeper and much more nuanced in your “prompts” … because too many still use ChatGPT like it’s Google search when it has much more power than that and can give you much more in-depth answers and more importantly, can be a working partner versus a quick tool.

Hope this inspires more to use their voice. I think voice will be the main interface with AI in the next decade, and I hope this inspires someone to ask much more detailed questions and go much deeper with their details and nuances.

Increased Opportunities for Young People

Do you know how many kids are about to become millionaires because they understand AI? This is the biggest financial opportunity for somebody under the age of 25 ever. Ever. Bigger than the internet in 94.

A 17-year-old can call a business and be like, I’ll build you a new website, yours is old, for $500.

They’re like wait, my last one was $4K. “Yeah, this is only $500.” You know why? You’ll be able to build it in a minute. And by the way, everyone’s about to ask this, so let me say it: The way you learn about AI is with AI.

@garyvee

Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk on Instagram: "Don’t be scared of it …. Accep…

The Disruption of Influencer Marketing

One industry that’s about to be massively affected by AI in the next 10 years is influencer marketing. Why? Because of AI influencers. We will see more people getting famous on social media that are not “real” people. They’re AI. And we’re going to see companies and entrepreneurs own those people and monetize, selling stuff. It’s going to be wild.

Brands have all sorts of feelings about influencers. They pay them a lot of money, then the influencers don’t post the content the way the brand wanted, or do what they wanted, or they do another brand deal with their competitor the day after the 6-month exclusive. So, you know what they’re going to do about it? They’re going to create their own influencers.

AI people are going to be some of the biggest influencers in the world in a decade, and the companies and humans who are going to own those fake people will be huge.

To me, that means companies and people owning a large amount of AI influencers is clearly a business of the future.

If you’re a marketer or an entrepreneur to be paying close attention to the moments we are heading into and before you talk about if this is a good or bad thing remember, technology doesn’t care about your opinions, it just keeps it moving.

Adaptability Wins, Squeeze the Moment

At the end of the day, this is about adaptability. When faced with change, do you run or do you embrace it? I hope after reading this that you’ll lean into curiosity instead of fear.

I will tell you that all of you find yourself in the perfect spot. You really do. You’re already using it. You’re already in it. And I could not recommend more. You not live with regret and let this moment pass. You’re in the right spot. Squeeze it. Take advantage of it. And I hope that makes someone go harder.

As always, thank you for reading. Now, I want to know: What’s the longest AI prompt you’ve made so far? What are you using these apps for so far? What excites you the most in this space?