🔄 AI Is Not Replacing Jobs, It’s Replacing Transitions
The loudest fear around AI has always been job loss. But the quieter, more accurate shift is happening somewhere else. AI is not removing work, it is removing the space between work, and that is changing how roles feel, how value is created, and how people experience their day. ------------- Context ------------- Most modern jobs are not made up of one continuous task. They are made up of transitions. Moving from a meeting to notes. From notes to action items. From action items to follow-ups. From information to decisions. From one system to another. For years, these transitions have been the invisible glue of work. They are rarely written into job descriptions, but they consume enormous time and cognitive energy. People become the connectors, translators, reminders, and memory holders that keep organizations moving. AI is now stepping directly into those gaps. It summarizes conversations, drafts follow-ups, organizes tasks, routes requests, and preserves context across tools. The work still exists, but the friction between steps is shrinking fast. That is why this shift feels unsettling. When transitions disappear, the shape of work changes. And when the shape of work changes, identity and value can feel suddenly unclear. ------------- Why Transitions Have Always Carried Hidden Value ------------- Transitions may look like overhead, but they have always been where judgment lives. Deciding what matters from a meeting. Interpreting tone in a message. Knowing who needs to be looped in. Choosing when to escalate and when to wait. These are not mechanical steps. They are human sensemaking. Because this work is informal, it often goes unrecognized. It sits between roles. It rewards experience more than expertise. And it creates a sense of indispensability for the people who quietly manage it well. When AI absorbs parts of this transition work, it can feel like value is being taken away. But what is actually happening is exposure. The work was always there. It just was never named.