Will AI Threaten Your Job? Take This Quiz To Get Future-Ready

Will artificial intelligence threaten your job? Not to alarm you, but it probably already does. The assessment below will tell you if you have the mindset and skillset that makes you future-proof.

The current “white collar” recession is at least partially attributable to productivity gains from AI. Since 2022, Silicon Valley firms have eliminated 552,000 jobs. Numerous firms from Accenture (19,000 jobs eliminated in 2024 alone) to Nike are quietly shedding jobs. Already, companies are finding they can get by with fewer workers.

In years past, blue collar jobs were threatened by recession and automation. But the future economy infused with a growing array of AI tools, is showing that white collar office jobs are vulnerable. More importantly, the organization of the future will demand different skillsets from those who work in offices. There is a shift underway.

LinkedIn researcher Aneesh Raman and Maria Flynn, president of Jobs for the Future, recently examined what they call “a huge shift in the skills our economy values most.” They parsed which skills any given job actually requires. From this, they then identified over 500 jobs likely to be affected by generative AI technologies. For example, they discovered that 96 percent of a software engineer’s current skills — mainly proficiency in programming languages — can eventually be replicated by AI. Skills associated with jobs like legal associates and finance officers will also be highly exposed.

“Technical and data skills that have been highly sought after for decades appear to be among the most exposed to advances in artificial intelligence,” note Raman and Flynn. “But other skills, particularly the people skills that we have long undervalued as soft, will very likely remain the most durable. That is a hopeful sign that AI could usher in a world of work that is anchored more, not less, around human ability.”

Yet while large organizations the world over are shedding jobs, they are desperately in need of people with what I call innovation skills (I-Skills) — the all too rare talent who can think ahead of the curve, conceptualize new products and services that grow revenue, delight customers, slash costs, motivate teams, and achieve outsized results.

Below are 14 questions that will help you determine if you’re AI vulnerable.

Print out this assessment and rate yourself on your I-Skills. If you strongly agree with the statement, give yourself a 10. If you strongly disagree, give yourself a 1 or 2. Remember to consider not only your self-perception, but also the perception of your coworkers, customers and your boss.

1. I approach my work with an opportunity mindset and show initiative and solve problems with a “can-do” attitude.

2. I embrace and use new technology (AI) and am often among the first in my organization to try out new tools.

3. I volunteer to lead new initiatives. I regularly get involved in projects having to do with building the future of my organization.

4. I align myself with the strategic goals of my organization’s senior leadership.

5. I engage deeply with people in my company and work to improve my communication, collaboration, and innovation skills.

6. I have a genuine passion for serving the end user (internal or external customer).

7. I look for ways to take on the customer’s problem.

8. I often take calculated risks.

9. I collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams.

10. I see through barriers and hurdles to achieving my goals.

11. I welcome feedback and use it to grow.

12. I am idea-oriented and constantly gather new ideas to build more creative outcomes.

13. I work to build a network of people who I create value for and receive value from.

14. I sell my ideas effectively and work hard at enrolling and converting others to my vision.

Here’s how to score yourself on your I-Skills.

As you completed the survey, did you consider your coworkers’ perceptions of you, or did you answer the questions based on your self-perception? Bear in mind that it’s not only about how you perceive your I-Skills. It’s about what you do and what you’re recognized for by others on your team. If you’re going to add unique value to your organization, you must take all your great ideas, skills, and abilities and turn them into concrete actions and initiatives that make a positive difference.

If you scored yourself 100 or higher, congratulations. You’ve developed quite a few of the I-Skills already. If you scored yourself in the 75 to 99 range, you’re still ahead of most of your peers, but you’ve got some skill building to do.

If you scored below 74, take heart. These are new skills for the vast majority of people, ones they haven’t had to use to be successful in the past.

Summary: AI doesn’t have to threaten your job. Not as long as you work to build up your I-Skills. The time to get started on this is right now.