Those who want to engage, learn, and experiment with AI will find that their opportunities are growing, not shrinking. History is clear on this. In times of exponential change, those who act first reap the most benefits, writes Mark Dixon.
Technology ultimately changes everything and has always shaped the way we work. The difference today is the speed with which that change unfolds. Advances in AI are accelerating the world of work at a speed that most organizations and individuals currently struggle to grasp. While headlines often focus on the threat of role extinction and concerns that younger generations will struggle to enter the labor market, less attention is paid to the great opportunities for advancement.
I’ve been in business for 50 years, and a little more than half of that time has been spent in the analog world. I remember the introduction of email over 20 years ago. For the most part, companies that were deeply skeptical and held on to the old and familiar did not survive this transition. Progress continued without them.
Today, we are at a similar tipping point. AI is already increasing productivity, opening up entirely new career paths, and challenging the status quo.
AI is not the end of work, it’s the beginning of better work
Increasingly, younger employees are teaching older colleagues how to use the tools that are redefining modern work. Recent research from the International Workplace Group (IWG) shows that Gen Z employees are playing a pivotal role in driving AI adoption across the workforce, with nearly two-thirds of younger employees actively helping older colleagues learn and use AI tools, from hands-on coaching to embedded practical tips.
Incorporate AI into your daily workflow. This reverse mentoring results in substantial increases in productivity and collaboration.
But despite this progress, much of the conversation is still dominated by anxiety. A recent World Economic Forum survey found that more than half of business executives expect their jobs to be replaced by AI, raising concerns that entry-level jobs will be automated and young people will lose the foothold they need to advance to senior roles. While that reality may be unsettling to some, we live in a world where AI is creating a wealth of new roles and opportunities.
AI-enhanced training is accelerating learning in ways never seen before, whether in the classroom, university, or workplace, allowing young people to move up the learning curve much faster than previous generations. Chairs are going to be moved and employment may decline slightly, but the reality is that employment is going to change. Young people will need to pay more attention to what their entry point will be when they enter the job market in, say, one, two, three or five years.
Moore’s Law and Exponential Progress
To understand what’s happening now, it’s worth looking back. In the early 1970s, Intel released the world’s first commercial microprocessor, the 4004. Shortly after, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore noticed something strange: the number of transistors on a chip seemed to double approximately every two years. Moore didn’t intend this to be a marketing slogan, but he was getting the point across: Progress is not linear. It was exponential.
This observation became known as Moore’s Law. The message was simple and powerful. Waiting two years won’t get you a small upgrade, you’ll get a dramatic jump.
speed of business
This is the mistake we are making today with AI. We treat it like a modest efficiency tool, but in reality it’s part of an exponential curve. This is the biggest change I’ve seen since Regus was founded in 1989. Exponential change not only fine-tunes employment, but also changes the speed of business itself.
We’ve seen this before. With the advent of email, I remember respectable companies claiming they would never adopt email. they didn’t trust it. They thought, the postal service has been working for centuries, so why change? But email was progressing. And with the proper use of email, smartphones and the Internet, business did not slow down, but significantly sped up.
AI will do the same. The assumption that many people have is that with fewer people, business will continue to move at the same pace. That’s wrong. Even when individuals can do 10 or 20 times more work in a day, organizations are not standing still. They expand possibilities. Yes, jobs will change. The numbers may be lower in certain categories, and the entry point into the workforce will be different. Young people will need to be more intentional about where and how they start their careers. But rather than shrinking economic activity, past technological changes have reshaped it. People needed to develop new skills to demonstrate their worth, and those who adapted acted faster than everyone else.
AI is also a much better teacher than the old model of learning by osmosis. AI-powered training allows people to climb the learning curve faster than ever before, increasingly starting in the classroom long before landing their first job. AI removes tedious tasks and creates significant efficiencies, allowing humans to do what they do best: think creatively, solve problems, and generate new ideas.
In the world of AI, those who act spontaneously will win.
One of the qualities I look for in future talent is the ability to use AI effectively and recognize how this can enhance business potential. Those who already have a subscription to an AI tool and are actively learning how to take advantage of it are at an advantage. These bring new skills, energy and innovation to rapidly expanding businesses, driving further productivity and growth.
Young people need to look ahead and ask themselves questions. “Where can I get the best career experience in this new world?” “Do I have the skills that will be valued by future companies?” In the past, ambitious employees would learn to code at night or earn additional qualifications on the side. That mindset is more important now than ever. Don’t rely solely on school or university for your preparation. Find AI Club. Join the community. Teach yourself the tools to transform your industry. Take responsibility for your own development.
pave the way forward
All major technological changes in history follow the same pattern. While many people stick to what they know, a smaller group adapts early and reaps the benefits. Speed is what changes this moment. The velocity of business is increasing faster than at any point in recent history.
AI, like Intel’s early chips, is the foundational technology that compounds and reshapes everything built on top of it. It is not a distant possibility or a temporary trend. It is already a driver of scale and competitiveness.
Those who want to engage, learn, and experiment with AI will find that their opportunities are growing, not shrinking. History is clear on this. In times of exponential change, those who act first stand to gain the most.
Mark Dixon is the founder and CEO of International Workplace Group.
