AI Publications

🧩 Introduction

We are going to challenge one of the most repeated phrases of our time: “AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use it will.”While it sounds motivational and partly true, the author argues that it’s dangerously simplistic.

AI doesn’t just automate tasks — it redesigns entire systems of work. That means even people who use AI might lose out if they don’t understand how it’s changing the structure of value.

To explain this, let us use a powerful historical analogy: the French Maginot Line, a perfect defense that turned out to be useless when the nature of warfare changed. The same thing is happening now: believing that learning to “use AI” is enough is like building a perfect defense for a war that’s already over.

⚙️ Lie #1: “If I learn to use AI, I’ll be safe”

This first lie assumes that jobs are just fixed sets of tasks that AI can automate or improve. But when the system changes, the value of those tasks can disappear entirely.

The example of shipping containerization shows this clearly — it didn’t just speed up cargo handling, it restructured global trade. Some ports became irrelevant overnight.

So the question isn’t whether AI will do your job better, but whether your job will still exist in the new structure of work. Learning AI is necessary, but it’s not enough; you must understand how it’s reshaping the system that gives your job meaning.

💸 Lie #2: “My position and salary are safe”

This illusion of job stability is outdated. AI doesn’t just eliminate jobs — it can also drastically reduce their value.Take the example of session musicians: music streaming created more demand than ever, but it drove average incomes down.

The same “commoditization” of talent happens with AI. As more people can perform at the same level using AI, work becomes less valuable.Keeping your job doesn’t guarantee keeping your pay. In fact, as you use AI more, you train it to do what you’re paid for — eventually reducing the uniqueness of your own skill.

🚀 Lie #3: “AI will make our processes faster and cheaper”

This phrase assumes that today’s processes will stay the same, just more efficient. But history proves otherwise: automation often makes processes irrelevant. Telephone operators disappeared not because machines made their work faster, but because the entire workflow was replaced by automatic switching.

AI doesn’t optimize workflows — it often replaces them completely. The real value lies in redesigning systems from scratch, not improving outdated ones. Companies that “optimize” instead of reinventing are like France perfecting its Maginot Line while Germany invented Blitzkrieg — technically perfect, but strategically useless.

📉 Lie #4: “AI will boost my productivity and make me more valuable”

This is the productivity trap. Being more productive doesn’t always mean earning more, especially during system shifts. In many industries, the gains from productivity go to whoever controls the coordination layer, not to individual workers. In textiles, productivity doubled thanks to new machines, but value went to aggregators like Shein — not to factory workers.

The same will happen with AI: benefits will flow to those who control the models, data, and infrastructure, not to the people who simply use the tools.

🧰 Lie #5: “AI is just a tool”

AI isn’t neutral. Every tool changes who decides and who executes. Excel gave more power to data analysts in the 1990s; AI goes much further, potentially replacing entire objectives.

AI agents can break down goals, assign resources, and act autonomously. As they take over more execution, human roles shrink.This reshapes hierarchies and power structures within companies. AI doesn’t just help workers — it redraws the map of power inside organizations.

🏢 Lie #6: “Companies will adopt AI and everything will keep working the same”

Most companies see AI as an “add-on” — something to make processes more efficient. But that’s a mistake. AI isn’t just a feature; it’s a new operating system for decision-making and coordination.Organizations that simply “add AI” without rethinking their structure are making the same error as France with its Maginot Line — improving something that no longer matters.

💀 Lie #7: “AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use it will”

The truth: winners aren’t those who use the tool best, but those who understand the new game. When word processors replaced typewriters, typists didn’t lose to faster typists — they lost because typing itself stopped being a specialized skill.

The key is to identify the constraint that makes you valuable today and ask: will that still exist in three years? If not, you’re defending the wrong battlefield.

🧠 The Danger of “Useless Truths”

Phrases like “AI won’t take your job, someone using AI will” are comforting but strategically dangerous.They sound smart but distract us from the real questions: how AI is changing systems, coordination, and value chains?

They give a false sense of understanding and prevent deep thinking. The real transformation doesn’t depend on the tool, but on who first understands the new logic of coordination.

💡 Conclusion: It’s not about using AI — it’s about redefining the game

Systemic change takes time, but it’s inevitable. As Seneca said, imagining possible losses prepares us emotionally and builds resilience.The key lesson: it’s not enough to use AI — you must understand how it changes the system you work in.Those who survive and thrive won’t be the ones who know the most prompts, but those who realize first that the rules of the game have already changed.