🎓💼ChatGPT and I Get Serious About My Future (The Career Counselor Prompt)
This Is a Conversation You'll Need to Have ASAP
If you've ever been to one of my talks or know me personally, you know replacement is a big fear of mine. I've lost a job before, and it's no fun.
Even so, I've gotten further than I thought I would in life by merely asking the question, "How can I be replaced" far enough in advance to stay ahead of things.
Like many of you, I feel like AI is starting to catch up.
The tech is relatively new, but it has advanced at breathtaking speeds. And with this week's 2027 superintelligence study showing a quicker timeline for agentic AI's job replacement capabilities, I feel like the gap (noose?) is tightening.
With this in mind, I decided it was finally time for ChatGPT and I to have a real heart-to-heart about my future.
First, I’m going to give you the prompt you can copy and adapt.
(Spoiler alert: I suggest everyone with 20 or more years left in the workforce to put this to use immediately.)
Look, I get a lot of the same advice on what I need to do to stay relevant in the 21st Century with rapid AI advancement. Some of it may be correct but it just doesn't feel specific enough to me in my situation. I have skills in [provide it with all your core skills along with a work history and any other relevant details]. Now, I need you to delve into other recent sources about the rise of AI, how agentic AI could be replacing people with my background in just two years, and I need you to map out viable career moves that I can or should be making to position myself as employable assuming the worst happens and every single thing I've told you can be replicated by an AI in the next two years.
Now, to see it in action, here’s what I filled in those gaps with, just so you can see how deep I go with it.
Look, I get a lot of the same advice on what I need to do to stay relevant in the 21st Century with rapid AI advancement. Some of it may be correct but it just doesn't feel specific enough to me in my situation. I have skills in copywriting and journalism that I honed over a 10-year period when I worked for myself and for a local business journal. In my role at the Police Department, I became an on-camera personality as needed, wrote press releases, managed the Department's social media pages (Facebook, X), and learned to play politics as needed with a variety of egos and personalities internally. From 2010, I started following AI writers. Starting in late 2022, I got into AI's advanced capabilities, but most of my knowledge is self-taught. I started a newsletter in June 2023 that has grown to just under 500 members. I do not pay for marketing, it's all through consistency, content, and in-person AI talks with business professionals. That's a basic summation of me. Now, I need you to delve into other recent sources about the rise of AI, how agentic AI could be replacing people with my background in just two years, and I need you to map out viable career moves that I can or should be making to position myself as employable assuming the worst happens and every single thing I've told you can be replicated by an AI in the next two years.
NOTE: I used the logic and coding model, o3-mini-high, with Search turned on so I’d have access to the latest available research online. I know this is available to Plus users; not sure about the Free account. If not, that’s okay. You can still get good results from 4o as long as Search is turned on.
Here are mine (this is a direct copy-and-paste from ChatGPT, complete with links that it shared to derive its responses; feel free to explore those if you’d like):
Below is a comprehensive analysis detailing how emerging agentic AI may impact your career as a copywriter and journalist over the next two years, along with a set of specific, actionable career moves to prepare for this scenario.
1. The AI Landscape and Agentic AI
a. Rise and Capabilities:
Recent studies and industry reports show that agentic AI—a form of AI that acts almost autonomously—has been rapidly evolving. These systems are moving beyond merely generating content (as seen with ChatGPT and similar models) to handling multi-step, decision-making processes in enterprises. Sources such as Reuters, Forbes, and LinkedIn publications highlight a shift from traditional generative AI to agentic AI that can optimize workflows, support decision-making, and even assist in strategic tasks in areas such as PR, journalism, and content marketing.
b. Job Vulnerability:
Your skills in copywriting, journalism, and public affairs—while uniquely human in terms of empathy, strategic insight, and brand storytelling—face significant exposure as current AI systems improve. Research indicates that while many tasks (e.g., generating routine content, repetitive copy edits, and simple press releases) can be substantially automated, higher-order functions like nuanced storytelling and ethical decision-making still require human oversight. However, advanced AI tools are beginning to encroach into the space of creative judgment and strategic planning, suggesting that within two years, even many higher-level tasks could be partly agent-automated.
2. Viable Career Moves to Stay Employable
a. Upskill in AI Integration and Data Literacy:
Learn AI Tools: Become proficient in using AI-driven platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Jasper, and emerging agentic AI systems) to complement your work rather than fear them as replacements. This includes learning how to input precise prompts, curate outputs, and edit AI-generated copy to refine tone and accuracy.
Data Analytics Skills: Develop skills in data interpretation to analyze campaign performance and media analytics. This will enhance your ability to integrate AI outputs into actionable insights for communications strategies.
b. Diversify and Specialize:
Niche Expertise: Leverage your depth in areas where human insight is critical—such as on-camera personality roles, strategic public affairs, and storytelling that requires deep institutional knowledge (for example, nuances in local community communications). This may include specializing further in niche industries or developing a signature voice that is hard to replicate with AI.
AI Content Strategy: Position yourself as an AI content strategist—a role that involves not just generating content but developing integrated content strategies and training teams to use AI efficiently.
c. Expand into Advisory and Ethics Roles:
Ethical Oversight: As media and journalism face ethical dilemmas with AI-generated content, there is growing demand for roles such as AI ethics managers and fact-checking specialists. Your background in public affairs could serve as the foundation for advising organizations on maintaining editorial integrity while adopting AI.
Consultancy: Offer consultancy services to businesses or news outlets to guide them in the effective integration of AI tools without compromising quality, credibility, or the nuanced requirements of human-centric content.
d. Foster Strategic Human-AI Collaboration:
Hybrid Roles: Advocate for and occupy hybrid roles where you both guide AI outputs and provide the necessary human oversight. For instance, become a “content curator” who bridges the gap between automated content production and strategic creative messaging.
Continuous Learning: Stay up-to-date with emerging trends in computational journalism and automated content creation. Follow industry leaders, subscribe to technology and media trade publications, and participate in professional forums. This ensures you remain aware of how regulations, copyright issues, and technological breakthroughs will shape your industry.
3. Actionable Steps
Technical Training:
Short Courses & Webinars: Enroll in courses on AI literacy and machine learning basics (many leading platforms and universities offer intensive bootcamps).
Certifications: Consider certifications in data analytics, computational journalism, or digital marketing that incorporate AI.
Networking and Mentoring:
Professional Communities: Join industry groups and local media or journalism networks focused on technology. Engage in discussions about evolving roles and attend digital transformation conferences.
Mentorship: Develop relationships with professionals already integrating AI into communications and journalism. This knowledge transfer can provide firsthand tips on best practices.
Portfolio Evolution:
Showcase Hybrid Work: Reframe your portfolio to highlight projects where you utilized AI tools to enhance content, whether it’s through better efficiency, improved personalization, or creative innovation.
Personal Branding: Rebrand yourself online (newsletter, social media, website) as an adaptable media professional who masters both traditional and digital/Ai-augmented techniques.
Consultancy Readiness:
Build Thought Leadership: Write articles or speak at events on ethical AI integration in journalism and PR. This helps establish you as a trusted voice and positions you for advisory roles in the future.
Conclusion
While agentic AI continues to advance and may automate many tasks traditionally performed by content creators, your unique combination of skills in journalism, public affairs, and copywriting remains invaluable—especially in contexts demanding human creativity, ethics, and strategic insight. By proactively upskilling, diversifying your expertise, and exploring hybrid roles (along with advisory positions), you can mitigate the risks of AI disruption and maintain your employability in an increasingly automated future.
This detailed mapping of the landscape, as reflected in multiple recent sources and industry predictions, should offer you a clear path forward in preparing for the rapid evolution expected in the next two years.
Me Again
If you’ve read this far, chances are you're not just casually curious—you’re concerned. Same here. I’ve seen what AI can do. I’ve also seen what it can’t do—at least, not yet. That’s where we still have leverage.
The truth is, no one knows exactly when or how the tipping point will come. But we do know it’s coming. And the people who prepare today—by asking the hard questions, testing strategies, and adjusting course—are going to be the ones still standing tomorrow.
If this hit close to home, then don’t stop here. I share real prompts, fresh tools, emerging research, and no-fluff advice like this in my newsletter four times a week. It’s built for people who want to adapt without losing themselves.
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