Much of the current shift in the workplace is a move beyond simple chatbots toward “agentic AI” AI agents capable of completing multi-step tasks and workflows with minimal supervision. These agents can automate repetitive work, freeing people up to focus on higher-value, more creative, and more strategic tasks. Many productivity tools already build this in for example, Asana’s AI Teammates are built directly into its project management platform to help manage projects and automate routine workflow tasks. Getting started doesn’t require a steep learning curve: the easiest entry point is simply experimenting with the AI features already built into apps you use every day, rather than waiting until you feel like you “need” them.

There’s also a strong case, made by entrepreneur Mark Cuban and echoed by other tech leaders, that the biggest wave of new AI-related jobs won’t be in building AI models, it’ll be in helping businesses adopt and customize them. Cuban predicts companies will need an “army” of workers to introduce AI into daily operations, train employees on new tools, and integrate AI into existing workflows similar to how the rise of Salesforce and cloud computing created entire new categories of implementation and support jobs. Young people, who tend to pick up new technology faster, may have a real edge here especially if they combine AI fluency with an understanding of how businesses actually operate. Valuable skills in this space include prompt engineering, workflow automation, business process analysis, and the ability to train others on new tools.