I mean, get ready to hear ‘So can AI!’ as a retort to almost everything hereafter. This doesn’t mean we are obsolete. It just means we must rise to a higher standard of value — because AI has already claimed the lower levels of cognitive work.
Where we once asked, “Can you do this?”
The question is becoming:
“Can you do what AI cannot?”
For decades, people built careers on being fast, accurate, knowledgeable, detail-oriented, good communicators, well-read, and analytical. But now, AI can perform all of these at scale, on demand, without fatigue or ego. This is why I believe that every student and every professional must rebuild their identity around higher-order abilities: judgment, ethics, imagination, grit, adaptability, context understanding, decision-making under ambiguity, truly original thought. These cannot be automated — and these will define the winners in the AI era.
So, the real question — the one that defines our future — is:
“What can I do that AI cannot?”
That is where our value lies.
That is where our future lies.
And that is where education, parenting, mentoring, and leadership must now urgently evolve.