The dangerous assumption of "I'm a people person - I'm safe from AI"

I was chatting with a friend over lunch on using AI more in her work.

For me, it seemed obvious that being AI-savvy was something everyone should be doing to stay competitive.

She wasn't convinced so I dug a bit deeper.

I pulled up a conversation on my phone where I was going back and forth with ChatGPT on the this exact topic, "the AI impact on knowledge work".

The thread went like this:

- 1st prompt: Please organize a table for some of the 2nd and 3rd order consequences of AI innovation on knowledge work

[Received an incredibly detailed table]

- 2nd prompt: How are the 3rd order consequences affected by lower cost energy and robotics

[Another comprehensive response]

- 3rd prompt: Assume a world where the cost of energy is near zero and we have unlimited labor and intelligence through AI and robotics. What are the 2nd and 3rd order consequences?

[The response was thought provoking]

Something flipped when she read the exchange. She was intrigued to learn:

- ChatGPT remembers your preferences from previous chats

- You can ask it to make assumptions and build on them

- It's capable of going back-and-forth where you can refine and expand ideas

When I asked why she hadn't been experimenting more with AI, her answer revealed a dangerous assumption:

She saw her strength in building relationships - something "non-repeatable" that AI couldn't touch. She was more of an an EQ person than a IQ person.

The thread changed her mind when she realized ChatGPT could amplify her relationship-building skills if she gave it the right context. It wasn't just a generic answer machine - it was a thinking partner.

The real risk isn't AI replacing relationship builders. 

It's AI-enhanced relationship builders replacing those who thought they were safe.