Your Job Isn't Disappearing (Yet)
"The bits that will never go away are the human interactions that go with it." - Dr Luella Forbes
Everyone wants a straight answer on whether AI is coming for their job. Dr Luella Forbes didn't have one either - not until she'd spent a month talking to three different people who do. What she took away instead is sharper - it's not AI taking anyone's job right now, it's the excuse it gives leaders who wanted to cut costs anyway.
In this monthly recap episode, Dr Luella Forbes and Associate Professor Michelle Gander sit down to unpack a month of AI conversations and cut through the noise around job security, hype, and what's actually worth worrying about.
Luella and Michelle speak about the challenges with AI adoption at scale, whether whole job categories are really at risk, and the specific skills - critical thinking, adaptability, and a healthy dose of scepticism - that will matter most as AI capability keeps climbing.
Timestamps
00:10:50 - Why this month became an AI month: Three guests in a row circled back to AI, and Luella admits she needed the reassurance as much as anyone.
00:13:15 - Is AI actually taking your job? The four-day-week debate, the layoffs blamed on AI that probably weren't, and the filing-cabinet argument for why roles change more than they disappear.
00:23:19 - Agentic AI, the models pulled over cybersecurity risk, and why lumping "AI" into one category misses the real threats.
00:27:21 - Why the sharpest AI users treat every answer with healthy cynicism - and why the craft of analysis isn't dead yet.
00:36:19 - The skill worth building isn't a technical one - it's the resilience to keep letting go of what you just learned.
00:41:00 - AI's uneven reach across countries, and why its impact on jobs is likely to hit women disproportionately harder.
00:46:18 - Just start: Matt Dunn's advice in a previous episode for getting over the fear of AI, and the ground rules for using it safely at work.
All opinions are the guest's own.
New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion on what we've heard in the last week of the month.
We'd love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you'd like Luella and Michelle to answer at [email protected].
Career Stories is hosted by Dr Luella Forbes, who works with organisations on leadership, change and storytelling. To find out how she can support your leaders and teams, visit luellaforbes.com/services
More about the podcast: luellaforbes.com/career-stories
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Creators and Guests
Host
Dr Luella Forbes
Dr Luella Forbes is a consultant specialising in Organisational Change and founder of The Career Library and it's podcast, Career Stories.
