We are inundated with news of layoffs and reductions that, somehow, are attributed to AI. We see predictions of the loss of entry level jobs. In selling, for example, many SDR/BDR jobs will disappear. In marketing, many content/demand gen jobs will disappear. In customer service many of those jobs will disappear.
Alarm bells are ringing, accompanied by massive hand wringing! Some suggest we need to slow down our investments in AI to protect those entry level jobs. Some are just shrugging their shoulders, saying “Shit happens…..” Some are saying, “Where do we build the skills for the more senior level jobs that AI can’t replace if they don’t have that entry level experience?”
What’s missing in too many of the arguments is that AI isn’t removing entry level work, it’s redefining what entry level work might be.
But none of this is new! Every major technology shift or innovation has redefined, not removed work. The shift from an agrarian to industrial economy, redefined agricultural work, shifting it to industrial work—creating new and different entry level jobs. Then machines replaced a lot of that labor–shifting jobs to machinists and engineers. IT systems replaced typists, clerks, switchboard operators, and millions of other jobs, while at the same time creating whole new categories or work.
What we have seen with these past technology and other innovations is the reshaping and redefinition of jobs, not the elimination of them.
We are seeing the same thing with AI. While it will eliminate the need for certain types of jobs, it redefines and creates new types of jobs. In GTM, we need to stop wringing our hands about the elimination of SDRs, BDRs, content creators, demand gen people, and others. We need to start thinking “What are the new entry level jobs that are created?” (And they aren’t just coding!)
When we look at so many of the “current” entry level jobs, they represent, low judgment, low context, high repetition. SDRs stick strictly to their scripts, hitting their activity goals. Entry level marketing has focused on list building, basic outreach sequences, content development/scheduling.
AI can do much of this far more effectively and efficiently than people can perform them. So what becomes the entry level job?
We start seeing the need for jobs requiring higher judgment, high context, high adaptability.
We see AI assisted deal researchers-going beyond the basic data analysis, injecting a contextual and time specific perspective. Or engagement analysts, looking at disparate buying signals developing higher impact engagement strategies. Or SDRs that are equipped to go more deeply into the context and human based issues buyers are going through.
We see marketing people shift into community development and management. Or deeper data interpretation–going beyond the analytics to inject a contextually relevant perspective.
All of these new roles will demand new skills in curiosity, critical thinking, systems awareness, emotional intelligence, storytelling, collaborative communications. These roles will increasingly train AI, identify AI blindspots, integrate the human element and human feedback. Underlying all of this is very deep contextual and “in the moment” understanding and engagement.
As we look at the shift in entry level jobs, the key question becomes, “Are we preparing people for those new jobs?” Are our universities, trade schools, and other institutions preparing students for these new jobs? Within our own organizations, are our onboarding, training, coaching, and development programs preparing and supporting people to perform in these new roles?
Companies and leaders that move the fastest in redefining these jobs and the way work get done, will capture the value produced with AI and humans. They will outperform those who cling to the past. They will redefine what work is and others will race to catch up–but probably won’t.
Afterword: Here is yet another fantastic AI generated discussion of this post. Enjoy!
David,
Another spot on viewpoint. I agree with you—as usual—that humans are still the key to an organization’s success. Adopting the latest tech and tools at all levels of employment, from entry-level to leadership, is tantamount to successfully navigating a changing world with innovations such as AI, and, prior to that, fax machines, computers, and just about all analytics-based tools that have emerged over the past several decades. People change the status quo. The tools they use make it easier to do so.