Turn AI Chaos Into Career Gold

How empathetic experimenters are building brilliant futures from everyone else's confusion

🌸 ikigai 生き甲斐 is a reason for being, your purpose in life - from the Japanese iki 生き meaning life and gai 甲斐 meaning worth 🌸

I've been thinking about a conversation I had the other day with a brilliant young person who's taking a year out to reflect on their next steps, rather than just following a preordained path. They're interested in AI options, already pretty technical, but understandably uncertain about what direction appeals most... and it made me think about all the headlines screaming about the future of jobs.

You know the ones. Geoffrey Hinton, AKA the godfather of AI, telling Steven Bartlett that we should "train to be a plumber" because robots won't be fixing our boilers anytime soon. He's not wrong... but I think he's also missing something rather magnificent.

A thought train I haven’t been able to quieten recently; AI as a whole is really complicated and it's introducing a lot of chaos into already chaotic and complicated systems… therefore that's a LOT more problems, new problems, therefore that's also a LOT more job opportunities.

Maybe we shouldn't worry about jobs disappearing quite as much as we are, maybe the chaos is actually the opportunity?

I tend to be optimistic about the future, there seems to me to be very little point in being otherwise *grin*. Humans have navigated huge transitions before, especially the shift from most people being involved in farming or food production in some way. Even in my own working lifetime, when I started in offices it wasn't common to have a computer on every desk. There were still secretaries typing up big in-trays of handwritten letters!

The world of work continues to evolve. The way we do tasks changes. The need for humans who can actually... well, people... only grows.

The great overwhelm

Pretty much every day, another AI tool launches with breathless promises to "revolutionise everything." Lots of people are struggling to keep up, and many more feel like they are drowning.

Lack of clarity leads to overwhelm. It’s hard to ignore the headlines, and people sense disruption is coming but many don't know the topic well enough to question when or what it means for their lives.

Negativity & fear of job loss. It is hard to have a positive vision for the future if the loudest stories are about doom, with fixes or opportunity barely mentioned. We worry about our security and AI can feel less like a tool for empowerment and more like a threat to humanity.

Distrust in systems. Whether they state it or not, many demographics distrust existing institutions to handle all this. Business as usual is often broken and extractive and not keeping up with the scale of change needed for previous technological changes, never mind all the new ones.

As much as I wished I lived in a Star Trek future with no need for money, I know I don’t hehe and therefore very much want to help people around me thrive financially! Every confused person trying to use ChatGPT is a potential customer. Every business struggling to implement AI tools effectively is a potential employer. Every overwhelmed teenager wondering if university is worth it anymore is someone who needs gentle guidance.

The chaos isn't the problem, it’s where the work is.

Agency beats anxiety

I love people watching, it’s helpful to look for who is thriving during uncertain times, and it's not necessarily the most technically gifted people. It's the ones with "high agency", the confidence to experiment, fail and try again, regardless of their starting point.

High agency looks like;

• Seeing a problem and thinking "I wonder if I could help with that" instead of "that's not my job"

• Being willing to test an idea for a few weeks rather than planning it for years

• Getting comfortable with uncertainty and treating your career like a startup… testing, iterating, pivoting when something isn't working

That brilliant person I mentioned? They're already demonstrating high agency by taking time to reflect rather than just following the expected next steps. That's the kind of thinking that leads to interesting places.

How lovely though that they have the privilege of a safety net to be able to. For a young person that means supportive parents or guardians, for adults we need supportive bosses, policies and/or systems… and it breaks my heart that not everyone has them.

Does anyone still do five-year career or life plans? I’d say that shorter term experiments are becoming everything, they help us learn that there are more flexible and adaptable ways to be. The most successful people I know have learned to surf uncertainty rather than try to solve it... and there's something SO liberating about that once you get used to it.

People who can actually people

As AI inevitably handles more of the processing, humans will compete on understanding.

The future belongs to people who can actually people, who can look at a confused colleague trying to use AI tools and think, "How can I make this less intimidating?" rather than "Why don't they just figure it out?"

I’ve always hated the words soft skills, they are the MOST important and for sure where lots of opportunities are hiding.

Every AI company desperately needs people who can;

• Translate between human needs and AI capabilities (without making anyone feel stupid)

• Help teams actually adopt new tools, not just buy them

• Train people with patience and humour

• Spot the human problems that algorithms completely miss

• Build trust with customers who are frankly a bit scared of the technology

We need empathetic people to help each other harness the potential of tech for good, in as responsible a manner as possible. People who think through the pros and cons, who stay alert to unintended consequences, who consider safety for young people, who bring diverse thinking about how systems get used so they're fit for purpose for more than just middle-aged white men.

Because let's be honest, AI is being pushed at the speed of light by some people who... well, aren't perhaps the best at peopling themselves grin.

Your quick path picker

I wanted to follow up my young person chat with action, so have drafted a resource doc for them with lots of links and thoughts, but at the heart of it I sketched out some pathway ideas with the aim that they can test any of them quickly and cheaply to see what fits. I had some fabulous constructive feedback and advice when I posted it on LinkedIn, including many who said they thought it would be useful for adults, so here I am sharing it for you too! >

Think about what sounds like you today;

🌸 I love turning ideas into posters, videos or stories → Creative & Content (using AI as your thinking partner, not your replacement)

🌸 I enjoy helping people "get it" → People & Teaching (becoming the person who explains AI to everyone else without the jargon)

🌸 I care about fairness, privacy and good rules → Policy, Safety & Ethics (helping organisations use AI responsibly and thoughtfully)

🌸 I like puzzles, data and finding patterns → Data Detective & Research (finding insights that actually drive good decisions)

🌸 I'm good at organising and helping people use tools → AI Implementation & Training (honestly, this might be the goldmine, everyone needs this)

🌸 I streamline tasks with templates and prompts → AI Superuser (productivity boost that works in literally any industry)

🌸 I spot problems and want to test solutions → Entrepreneur/Side Project (turning chaos into solutions people will pay for)

🌸 I want to build with code → Technical Builder (but remember coding is just one piece of the puzzle)

Not sure? Start with AI Superuser or Creative & Content for some fast, confidence-boosting wins. Pick one route to sample for 2–4 weeks. Keep a log of what you tried, who it helped, and what you learned.

[View the 8 cards here, or comment if you want me to share a pdf!]

The lovely thing is, you don't have to pick one path and hope for the best. Test multiple approaches quickly to discover where your interests and talents actually align. Your portfolio builds naturally as you help real people with real problems.

Jobcrafting opportunity

This sort of thinking isn't just helpful for career changes or completely new directions, you can use it right where you are now.

Even within your existing organisation or role, you can gently lean into the areas where you naturally shine and become "the AI person" through small, thoughtful experiments. Maybe you start by creating a simple guide for your team about using AI tools more effectively. Perhaps you volunteer to test new software and share what you learn. Or you could offer to help colleagues who are struggling with the latest digital changes and arrange a lunch and learn session.

You’re gravitating toward work that energises you whilst making yourself genuinely useful to others.

I've watched people transform their day jobs this way... the HR person who became the "change communication specialist" by translating complex policy updates into human language. The marketing coordinator who became the "AI content strategist" by experimenting with tools and sharing what actually worked.

Small steps, small experiments, big changes over time… and the organisation benefits just as much as you do.

Getting comfortable with not knowing

There are lots of people who are winning right now without perfect plans. They're the ones who are comfortable saying "I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out."

Uncertainty tolerance has become a genuine competitive advantage. While everyone else is paralysed waiting for clarity, the experimenters are already building, testing, learning.

Some practical ways to build your uncertainty muscles;

• Set tiny experiments (think 2-week sprints rather than 2-year commitments)

• Keep a "learning log" of what you try and what you discover

• Practice saying "let me find out" instead of pretending you know

• Celebrate the attempts, not just the successes

• Remember that changing direction isn't failure, it's navigation

While everyone else is asking "Will AI take my job?", maybe we should be asking "How can I help people navigate this messy transition?"

Because the answer to that question is probably several careers, all built on your ability to stay genuinely human whilst helping others harness the potential of artificial intelligence.

Jobs will be created that we don't have names for yet. Tools and tasks that didn't exist two years ago are becoming essential. Companies are desperate for people who can bridge the gap between promising technology and confused humans trying to use it.

The chaos whisperers. The people who can actually people. If we are brave enough to step into the uncertainty and kind enough to help others find their way through it.

The chaos is waiting for you to turn it into opportunity... and honestly, I think you might be exactly the right person to do it.

Sarah, seeking ikigai xxx

PS - I'd love to hear from you beautiful souls! If you're already experimenting with any of these pathways, what's working? What's harder than expected? What opportunities are you spotting that the rest of us might be missing? What career advice are you giving the young people in your life?

PPS - If you're feeling overwhelmed by all this (totally understandable!), maybe start with one tiny thing? Here's an AI prompt you can try right now to get your experimental muscles moving;

"I want to become more helpful with AI tools in my current role/life. Based on what I do day-to-day [briefly describe your situation], suggest 3 small experiments I could try this week to help one person navigate technology better. Make the suggestions specific and achievable in under 30 minutes each."

PPPS - Bullet Journal Spread Idea; Create a "Chaos Whisperer Experiments" tracker. Draw a simple grid with columns for: Date | Experiment | Who I Helped | What I Learned | Energy Level (1-10). Track every small AI-related thing you try for a month, helping a colleague, testing a tool, explaining something to a friend. You'll start to see patterns in what energises you and where your natural strengths lie.

PPPPS - Soundtrack; I've been listening to Brandi Carlile's "The Story" whilst writing this. I love the vulnerability and strength in her voice... especially when she sings "All of these lines across my face, tell you the story of who I am." It reminds me that our career stories are allowed to have plot twists, uncertain chapters and imperfections. Sometimes the most interesting paths are the ones that felt a little scary to start.