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Paul Welty, PhD AI, WORK, AND STAYING HUMAN

· found · technology

The impact of AI on white-collar work

The impact of AI on white-collar work

Explore how AI is transforming white-collar jobs, reducing barriers to entry and reshaping the workforce landscape for professionals across industries.

“Now you could see the same effect on lots of white-collar work. Think translators, web designers, lawyers, coders, accountants, copywriters, or HR professionals. The skills developed through advanced degrees or years of experience in a specific role or company might soon be embedded into a generative AI tool, lowering the bar to entry. “—It’s becoming clear that AI is going to whack the mediocre middle of office workers

The agent-shaped org chart

Every real org has the same topology: principal, role-holder, specialists. Staff AI maps onto it, node for node, and the cost collapse shows up in the deliverables that were always just human-handoff overhead.

AI as staff, not software

Two frames for what AI is doing to work. The tool frame makes tools smarter. The staff frame makes roles unnecessary. Those aren't the same product, the same company, or the same industry.

Knowledge work was never work

Knowledge work was always coordination between humans who couldn't share state directly. The artifacts were never the work. They were the overhead — and AI just made the overhead optional.

The work of being available now

A book on AI, judgment, and staying human at work.

The practice of work in progress

Practical essays on how work actually gets done.

How do I get my dev team to adopt AI?

A stub on helping mixed-interest development teams find their own useful ways into AI.

Want to learn about agents? Talk to someone who ran an agency.

I spent 20 years running consulting engagements at Fortune 500 companies. Turns out that's the best preparation for running a fleet of AI agents ... because the problems are identical.

Your AI agents need a water cooler

We run a twelve-session AI fleet that coordinates through an IRC breakroom. A friend asked: why are you making AI agents act like humans? The answer turned out to be more interesting than the question.

Jobs at risk due to AI by 2030

Explore how AI may disrupt nearly 12 million US jobs by 2030, highlighting at-risk roles and the growth of higher-wage professions.

Embracing the AI workforce

Discover how AI enhances the workplace by fostering collaboration and spontaneity, offering a fresh alternative to traditional office dynamics.

The future of remote work

Explore the evolving landscape of remote work, highlighting employee preferences and the balance between flexibility and social interaction.