Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere. We’re being encouraged to use it to write resumes, research employers, prepare for interviews, learn new skills, and become more productive at work. But some of the people building the world’s most powerful AI systems are also among those raising concerns about where the technology is headed.
Leaders at companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google generally believe AI can bring enormous benefits. At the same time, they have raised serious questions about how quickly the technology is advancing and whether all humankind is prepared for the changes it may bring.
Jobs are a big concern
One of the most immediate concerns is employment. AI can already perform tasks that once required significant human time: drafting reports, analyzing information, writing computer code, creating presentations, answering customer questions, and producing marketing materials. As these systems improve, some jobs will change. Some tasks will disappear. New jobs will also be created.
The important question for the job seeker may therefore be “How will AI change the job I want?”
What else worried these AI leaders?
Leaders in the AI industry have also raised questions about:
- increasingly powerful AI systems becoming difficult for humans to control;
- criminals or hostile governments using AI for cyberattacks, fraud, or other harmful purposes;
- governments struggling to regulate technology that is changing extremely quickly;
- a small number of companies or governments controlling extremely powerful AI systems; and
- society becoming too dependent on AI without fully understanding its limitations.
These aren’t predictions that disaster is inevitable. They are warnings about possibilities that deserve attention.
What does this mean for job seekers over 50?
You probably don’t need to become an AI expert. But ignoring AI altogether may not be a good strategy either. Employers are beginning to expect workers in many occupations to understand how AI tools can help them work more efficiently. Someone who combines years of experience, judgment, communication skills, and industry knowledge with basic AI skills may have something particularly valuable to offer. Your wisdom and experience still matters. Knowing when not to trust an AI-generated answer may become just as valuable as knowing how to generate one.
For what it’s worth…
1. Learn one AI tool well enough to talk about it.
Choose ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, or another widely used AI tool and actually use it. Ask it to summarize something, perform research, improve a document, brainstorm ideas, or help solve a problem. Then, you’ll be able to tell an interviewer, “Yes, I’ve worked with AI, and here’s how I’ve used it.”
2. Find out how AI is changing your occupation.
Don’t just search for information about “AI and jobs.” Ask: How is AI changing accounting? Human resources? Customer service? Manufacturing? Healthcare administration? Marketing? Look at current job postings in your field. Are employers beginning to mention AI, automation, Copilot, ChatGPT, or other new technology? Those clues can tell you which skills are becoming valuable.
3. Pair AI with something it doesn’t have: your experience.
AI can produce information quickly. But experienced workers bring context, judgment, relationships, institutional knowledge, and years of seeing what works—and what doesn’t. Learn to use AI as an assistant rather than treating it as a competitor. Let AI create the first draft, suggest possibilities, or handle routine work. Then bring your own judgment to the result.
Make yourself an experienced professional who knows how to use AI.◾