Want to Thrive in an AI World? Focus on These Two Skills

I can’t stop thinking about artificial intelligence. And you shouldn’t either.

A few months ago, I wrote a primer on how to get started with AI at work. Since then, the pace of innovation has continued at an unprecedented pace, and so has my own use.

I’ve transitioned from experimenting occasionally to leveraging AI many times daily for writing, brainstorming, planning, and clarification.

If you're not using AI on a daily basis, you're falling behind.

And I don’t mean asking for restaurant recommendations or making funny images.
I mean using AI to:
• Summarize meetings
• Write better, faster
• Unblock your thinking
• Build smarter workflows

It’s now impossible to ignore this shift.

Shopify’s CEO Tobi Lütke recently made AI use an expectation for employees, even tying it to performance reviews. Before requesting headcount, teams are now expected to demonstrate how they’ve attempted to solve problems using AI.

That may sound extreme, but it’s not unique. This is the kind of conversation happening in boardrooms everywhere, even in your company.

Are you ready to operate in this new reality?

“Is AI Going to Take My Job?”

Probably not, unless you're in a highly automatable role. However, it will augment many of your tasks.

Let’s say you’re a software engineer, a highly desirable and well-paid role because of the demand for people who can code. AI can already:

• Write effective code
• Generate test cases
• Suggest bug fixes
• Explain code

Tasks that once took hours now take minutes.

Over time, the value and key skills of a software engineer will shift from writing code to architecting systems, solving complex problems, and collaborating across teams.

The job’s still there. But the bar has been raised.

The same is happening in your field of work.

This Isn’t a Threat. It’s an Opportunity.

AI will make it easy to be average. I can’t code, but with a little effort and prompt engineering, I can already become an average developer.

But you can still stand out if you focus on the right things.

This moment is a fork in the road for your career. Don’t get left behind.

Taking advantage of the AI boom comes down to two critical skills:

1. Integrating AI into your daily work to make you faster and more effective

2. Doubling down on the human skills AI can’t touch, like trust, judgment, and communication

Integrating AI into Your Daily Work

Ethan Mollick wrote a great blog post on the 15 times to use AI and 5 not to. Breaking it down to it’s simplest form, here are five ways you should be leveraging AI on a daily basis using the acronym RAISE.

R – Run out of ideas
When your brain’s tired or you’re staring at a blank page, AI can give you 20 or 50 options to react to. You won’t use them all, but one might unlock your next move.
“Give me 10 ways to open this email.”
“What are some creative formats for this presentation?”

A – Adjust for different audiences
Need to say the same thing to execs, teammates, or customers? AI can help you rewrite it with the right tone and level of detail.
“Rewrite this update so a non-technical stakeholder understands it.”

I – Information overload
AI is great at summarizing long documents, reports, or transcripts. It’s not perfect, but it’s fast and usually good enough to save time and get the gist. (PS, that’s what I did with the Ethan Mollick blog post)
“Summarize this meeting in 5 bullets.”

S – Stuck
Sometimes you just need a nudge. Ask AI to rephrase a sentence, suggest structure, or break down a task. It’s a great way to regain momentum.
“Give me an outline for this memo.”
“What’s a clearer way to say this?”

E – Evaluate, experiment, and get feedback
Don’t take the first output at face value. Use your judgment. Tweak the prompt. Try a different angle. Then ask someone else, or even the AI itself, for feedback.
“What are three ways to improve this?”
“How might this be misunderstood?”

One of my favorite use cases is asking AI to review something I thought was already good to help it become great.

For example, my team had documentation on internal processes that we’d reviewed a dozen times. However, when I asked ChatGPT to review it, it identified gaps, suggested simplifications, and recommended an improved flow. We implemented a few of the suggested changes immediately and saved meaningful amounts of time.

AI isn’t replacing your work. It’s helping you improve what already exists. It’s your copilot there to help whenever you need it.

Doubling Down on the Human Skills

The guidance I just gave isn’t unique. Everyone is talking about AI use cases and how to integrate AI into their workflows.

But here’s what I believe. AI fluency will eventually be comparable to knowing how to use Microsoft Word or Excel. It’ll be assumed. Some people will be better at it than others, but everyone will be expected to use it.

So what will make you stand out?

The human skills AI can’t touch.

Last year, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote an op-ed arguing this exact point:

He goes on to recommend the types of skills people should focus on in this new age of AI:

• A distinct personal voice
• Presentation skills
• A childlike talent for creativity
• Unusual world views
• Empathy
• Situational awareness

People ask me why I write a newsletter in the age of AI. It’s because many of the skills I write about are precisely what will help you stand out.

Getting better at behaviors like:

• Communicating like an executive
• Navigating messy human dynamics
• Telling clear, compelling stories
• Influencing through questions

These are the skills you need to keep practicing and refining alongside your AI fluency. They are the skills that will help you stand out as AI use becomes ubiquitous.

That’s why you should tell everyone you know about The Clear-Eyed View. My goal isn’t just to help you become AI fluent, though I’ll keep talking about how important that is.
My goal is to help you sharpen the human skills you’ll need to rise above the average.

Final Takeaway

This isn’t just my opinion. It’s backed by evolving research.

In January, the World Economic Forum released their Future of Jobs report. In it, they wrote:

AI will keep getting better. So must we.

Becoming fluent in AI is now table stakes to stay relevant. But what makes you exceptional won’t just be how effectively you leverage new tools. It'll be how deeply you commit to mastering the distinctly human skills that AI can never replicate.

Your career is at a crossroads. You can either let AI push you toward average, or you can choose to stand out by being relentlessly human.

Don’t just adapt to AI. Rise above it.