10 Strategies to Become Irreplaceable in the Age of AI

Sabin Pokharel
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Summary

Some ways to become irreplaceable are to develop a growth mindset and become life lifelong learner. Build empathy, and self-awareness, and develop emotional intelligence.

strategies to become irreplaceable in the age of ai

When was the last time you used an AI bot to assist you in your work? I used it to research for this article.

In 2022 Open AI released a powerful AI chatbot called Chat GPT which created a butterfly effect in the AI sector. Seeing the hype of the AI market, big companies like Google, and Microsoft joined the race and it created fear among the working people about whether their jobs would be secured or not.

Many tasks previously thought to be human-exclusive and irreplaceable such as writing, and graphic design, are replaced at first by AI. This raises the important question of how can people like us remain irreplaceable in the AI-driven world.

It is now here, AI is already here, and it is already replacing humans. How are you preparing to become irreplaceable?

The answer is symbiotically aligning with AI systems and cultivating your unique human traits such as creativity, and emotional being.

Let's see 10 powerful strategies that will equip you with the right mindset, and skillsets to become irreplaceable in the age of AI.

I will also provide additional resources to learn more about how you can become irreplaceable in the age of AI.

Choosing AI’s Impact on the Future of Work (SSIR)
Rapid advances in AI threaten to eliminate many jobs, but there are still two distinct paths this AI revolution could take.

Strategy #1: Cultivate a Growth Mindset

A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject. –Winston Churchill

What comes to your mind when someone tells you to cultivate a growth mindset? Some people say it is born within you, you cannot grow. But the twist here is you can become a man or woman with a growth mindset.

Let's understand what a growth mindset is. In my definition a growth mindset is continuously seeking new and different ways to solve a problem, accepting failure, and asking help when needed.

One prime strategy to have a growth mindset and become irreplaceable with AI is to do what AI is doing perfectly: learning. Continuously seek opportunities in school, work, and home to learn new things, and acquire skills and experiences.


One another important way to have a growth mindset is to stay curious and open to new experiences. A curious mind helps to understand new ideas and problems and shows different perspectives, which can lead to problem-solving.

Another way to have a growth mindset is to embrace challenges with a positive attitude. you need to be able to accept your mistakes and listen to other's ideas, this can be daunting but this will be the most effective.

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What is a growth mindset and how can you develop one? - FutureLearn
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Strategy #2: Develop Emotional Intelligence

“Where we have strong emotions, we’re liable to fool ourselves.” — Carl Sagan

Let's understand what emotional intelligence means first. Humans have all sorts of emotions and being able to manage and use these emotions inside you and around you is emotional intelligence.


Without understanding the types of emotions one is having and managing those, we can never be emotionally intelligent. Managing emotions lies at the base when it comes to developing emotional intelligence.


One thing that AI will take a lot of time to develop is being emphatic. And humans are experts at being emphatic. Empathy allows us to understand and connect with the emotions of others.


Emotional Intelligence helps to resolve conflicts, inspire others, and guide people. Used effectively, it can be a crucial tool for communication, building trust, and leading effectively.

Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: Why It’s Important
Emotional intelligence is an important skill for leaders to have. But what does emotional intelligence mean, and why is it crucial? This post explains.

Strategy #3: Become a Master Collaborator

If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. -Isaac Newton

The importance of collaboration in the age of AI is crucial for success and stability in your career. Effective collaboration with AI and humans is essential to maximize productivity, innovation, and problem-solving. Collaboration with AI can solve most problems that humans and AI are having at present.

Teamwork and communication skills are the prime tools of master collaboration. Strong communication skills are vital for collaboration across different teams including both humans and AI.

Another most needed ability to become a master collaborator is embracing diversity and inclusive practice. Diversity allows different ideas perspectives and skills needed for the job done. Inclusive practice in your team makes all the member feel respected, heard, and motivated to contribute their insights.

How Humans and AI Are Working Together in 1,500 Companies
Examples of how they’re enhancing each other’s strengths.

Strategy #4: Foster Creativity and Innovation

Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought. – Albert Einstein

I would not say creativity is being able to create the same thing everyone is doing, creativity is doing nobody is doing or combining different fields nobody ever thought of doing so.

Human creativity is essential to maintain a competitive edge over AI in a human-driven world. I know AI can create beautiful images, stories, and poems. They can also do it at an extremely fast speed. But they lack one major aspect, the ability to think. Our ability to think allows us to become creative and innovative.

So how do you become creative? There are a lot of coaches and gurus on the internet teaching us how to be creative. One important thing to do to become creative is to protect your ideas. I mean don't let your brain forget the ideas. Create an Idea dumpster to protect your ideas. Always try to think about how to do it differently. With practice, everyone can become creative and innovative.


you need to leverage AI tools to become creative, use AI for what it can do best, analyze the data, recognize patterns, and generate insights from those data. Data can inspire creativity. Utilize the immense computing power of AI to look into the past and find out how similar problems were solved.

10 Ways to Foster Innovation in Your Company | From Ideas to Impact
Learn from companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, and Pixar who have created a culture that encourages creativity, collaboration, and risk-taking with simple steps like these.

Strategy #5: Develop Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills

Whenever we hear an opinion and believe it, we make an agreement, and it becomes part of our belief system.
― Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements

Let's first understand what is critical thinking and then move on to why we must develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills to be irreplaceable in the age of AI.

If you search on the internet what is critical thinking you will get lots of definitions of critical thinking, but the simplest one is

Critical Thinking is a way to make judgments only after questioning, analyzing, and evaluating what you see, read, hear, say, or write.

So what is the role of critical thinking in the age of AI? Well AI can do some tasks more efficiently and faster than humans. If you are to compete with AI what will make a difference, you can think critically. I don't think AI would be able to ask questions about its doing and redo it.

Critical thinking involves analytical and logical reasoning and they are the critical part of thinking. It helps to assess the information, identify patterns in the information, and make a logical conclusion.

You can apply some of the frameworks such as design thinking, root cause analysis, and decision trees to solve challenges and generate innovative and creative solutions.

Critical Thinking in the Age of AI
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Strategy #6: Embrace Adaptability and Agility

Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything - George Bernard Shaw

Let's go some hundred thousand years back into history. How do you think humans survived these thousands of years? Due to our ability to be adaptable and agile. We have come far from the age of hunting and gathering. Today we have a rapidly changing business landscape.

In this world, we face rapidly changing technology, market trends, and cultural shifts. Embracing adaptability and Agility helps you to respond effectively to these changes, capture the opportunity, and find out the uncertainties to maintain competitiveness.

So how do you stay adaptable and agile? The answer lies in experimentation, risk-taking, open communication, and continuous learning. By using these steps you can stay agile and adaptable.

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The 7 Ways To Respond To Constant Change With Agility And Adaptability
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Strategy #7: Specialize and Become an Expert

“To specialize is to brush one tooth. When a person specializes he channels all of his energies through one narrow conduit; he knows one thing extremely well and is ignorant of almost everything else.”
― Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

In a competitive environment like today's anyone with expertise will surely rise to the top. Deep expertise allows you to offer unique solutions, and high-quality work that makes you unique than others.

While most people would say to identify a niche and become an expert on that, I would differ. Specializing in a specific niche has the advantage but not to one who specializes in various things.

What I mean to say is that try to incorporate various areas that nobody ever thought of, for example, you can specialize in mathematics and biology and you will have an unfair advantage for the next 50 years.

Becoming an expert is becoming a thought leader in your field, so how do you become an expert in your field?

Share your knowledge, engage with the community, and teach others. Position yourself as an expert in that field through various content creation, and passing down information.

The Importance of Adaptability and Agility in Business Leadership
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Strategy #8: Leverage Technology and AI

I think one of the best ways to beat AI is to learn to use AI as fast as possible. AI offers immense potential for innovation, automation, and enhancing the decision-making process.

You should also understand that AI is not fit for all solutions and it has limitations. By understanding its capacities and limitations you can leverage this powerful tool to your advantage.

As AI reaches our household it is increasingly important to learn technical skills and digital literacy. Digital Literacy allows us to easily navigate different AI tools and technology.

Instead of thinking of AI as a rival, you and I can use this tool in our workflows to enhance capacities and automate boring tasks and decision-making processes. This approach to AI enables you to work alongside with AI system, maximizing overall productivity.

7 ways to leverage AI for business growth and innovation
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Strategy #9: Cultivate an Entrepreneurial Mindset

Let's understand what is entrepreneurial mindset, is it just developing a business or more than that?

In my definition, if you are someone who is challenging traditional norms and values and finding new and unique more efficient ways to solve problems then you are an entrepreneur.

An entrepreneurial mindset can drive success and innovation. Positive and resilient thinking capacity enables you to overcome challenges, make informed decisions, and take responsibility for your doing.

So how do you develop an entrepreneurial mindset? An entrepreneurial mindset needs the ability to take risks and solve problems creatively. Creativity allows you to generate novel ideas, and think outside of the box.

Entrepreneurs excel at recognizing opportunities, foreseeing trends, and capitalizing on emerging needs. Entrepreneurs create value and stay ahead of the competition.

Entrepreneurial Mindset: What is It & How to Think Like an Entrepreneur
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The Entrepreneur Mindset: How to Unleash Your Potential
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Strategy #10: Build a Strong Personal Brand

In the age of AI, you will be valued based on your personal brand. You have a voice in various things if you have devoted fans and followers. So what is meant by personal branding?

Personal branding means shaping professional identity utilizing social media presence to differentiate in a competitive world. personal branding allows you to present yourself as a thought leader in your field.

Your unique value proposition is crucial for creating your brand. Emphasize lifelong learning and engagement with community.

You cannot forget to leverage social media while building your brand. platforms like LinkedIn, and Twitter are tools for building your professional brand. By sharing your insights, engaging with industry trends, and contributing original material you can present yourself as knowledgeable.

Social media allows you to connect with your peers, industry leaders, and potential clients leading to potential networking, collaboration, and business growth.

You become a thought leader if you have a strong personal brand.

The Power of Personal Branding in the AI Era
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Conclusion

In summary, develop a growth mindset, and become life lifelong learner. Build empathy, and self-awareness, and develop emotional intelligence. Collaboration is key in the AI age. Leverage your human creativity. Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Stay responsive in a rapidly changing market. Try to specialize in more than one area. Develop technical skills and digital literacy. Define your unique value proposition and build a strong online presence.

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