Back in 2022, I joined a health-tech startup to lead the buildout of their new AI operations function. At the time, our team was breaking new ground integrating artificial intelligence into healthcare, a process that demanded extensive, skilled human oversight to deliver safe, reliable results.
But the generative AI boom unfolded far faster than anyone predicted. New GenAI models launched at an unprecedented pace, and cutting-edge iterations like GPT-4 could resolve a full case in just 30 seconds—compared to the four months of work my entire team required to complete the same task. It quickly became clear to both my employer and me that my specialized skill set was no longer needed, and there was no clear path for me to grow into a new role at the company with my existing expertise. I had no choice but to move on and restart my job search.
When I began looking for new opportunities, my top priority was finding a so-called “AI-proof” position—one that would never be disrupted by the AI revolution. I stuck to traditional job search tactics for months, but it wasn’t until five months in that I realized this approach was going nowhere. Frustrated by the lack of progress, I stepped back to rework my entire strategy and question whether I was framing the problem entirely wrong.
That’s when I had my big epiphany: instead of fixating on what AI would take from me, I flipped my mindset to explore what AI could do for me. Almost immediately, AI became my secret weapon in the job hunt. I built a custom “CareerBuddy GPT” in ChatGPT to handle all the repetitive, rote work of job searching: drafting tailored cover letters, updating my resume to align with each individual job posting, and sorting through applications. Using AI cut the time I spent on my job search by 70 to 80%, and eliminated the constant mental burnout that comes with grinding through applications. Anyone who’s searched for a new role knows how draining the process can be.
The most valuable use of AI, though, was as a strategic partner. It helped me assess my fit for open roles, generate targeted job leads, and advise me on the best ways to frame my past experience for hiring managers. All I had to do was upload my resume or summarize my career goals, and CareerBuddy would suggest contacts to reach out to, organizations to vet, and even unadvertised or hidden open listings I had missed on my own.
This new approach paid off: I ended up landing a role at an exciting new startup—ironically, one whose entire mission is perfecting the collaboration between humans and AI. Going through this journey ultimately taught me that partnering with AI is one of the most underutilized competitive advantages any professional can have today. Right now, I’m leveraging all the skills I taught myself during my job search to improve my organization’s internal AI program: I identify gaps where AI can streamline work, and free up our teams to focus on more creative, high-impact opportunities only humans can deliver.
Some technological revolutions are so momentous that you cannot avoid them, no matter how hard you try. I couldn’t hold onto my health-tech role as this revolution unfolded, but that experience left me with a critical lesson: the AI wave is here, and we all have two choices. You can get pulled under by the undertow, or you can grab a surfboard and ride the wave.
AI can become your job hunter, your career coach, your personal assistant, or whatever tool you need it to be. It can help you save time, explore new professional paths, make space for creativity, and build your own unique set of skills. My personal view—one of cautious optimism—is that human value will not disappear, even if AI can replicate some of our common work capabilities. But what AI can do is help us maximize human productivity, and unlock hidden value we never even knew we had to offer.
