Show Off Your Human Skills

While AI might eliminate some jobs entirely, it's sure to impact other jobs in more nuanced ways. A new KPMG Intern Pulse Survey (Aug 19, 2025) finds that half of Gen Z interns expect about 20% of their future jobs to be automated by AI, yet 92% say they’re confident they can adapt. That combination of realism and adaptability is the mindset early‑career professionals need right now.

The KPMG result is hopeful for Gen Z. It’s actually generating your learning plan. If 20% of your role can be automated, your job is to (1) make sure you’re the one doing that automating, and (2) spend the saved time on judgment, communication, and leadership behaviors. Think of AI as the power tool; you’re the craftsperson who decides when and how to use it, and who takes responsibility for the finish.

Two-Week AI Skills Sprint

What can you do right now to be the human behind the AI? Run a two-week AI experiment where you:

1. Map your work. List your recurring tasks for the next two weeks. Identify two important and tedious tasks (e.g., meeting summaries, data pulls, first‑draft briefs).

2. Pick the right tool. For each of those tasks, describe the workflow (e.g., summarize a transcript, conduct a data or code clean-up; turn notes into a draft or outline).

3. Define quality. For each task, write a 3‑bullet rubric (accuracy, tone, format) so you can judge whether AI output is usable.

4. Ship with oversight. Use AI to conduct the task and then edit with your judgment. Keep track of time saved, quality of output, learnings, etc.

5. Create a 1‑pager. Document your prompts, quality checks, and handoff steps so it can be repeated.

6. Show your impact. Share the 1-pager and a 15‑minute demo with your manager: “This saves ~X minutes/week and improves Y.” Ask what to tackle next.

This sprint does three things at once: (1) it proves you can automate responsibly, (2) it moves you up the value chain (from doing to deciding), and (3) it creates visible artifacts that highlight your leadership behaviors.

Bottom Line

With AI moving so quickly, you can't stay on the sidelines. Take ownership over automation of your own low‑leverage tasks and invest the saved time in higher‑order skills. When you consistently pair AI efficiency with human judgment, you stop competing with the model and start directing it.