Envision future of work in the age of AI
When I was invited to speak at YSEALI Academy at Fulbright University Vietnam about how AI will shape the future of work, the main question I wanted to answer was: "What kind of cognitive work will humans monopolize when machines can think?"
Can we deduce, with clear logic and assumptions, which roles are uniquely human, unfillable by AI?
The conclusion: judgement & inspiration.
Here is why.
👩⚖️ Start with one irreducible fact: Machines cannot be held accountable. Only humans can.
When an AI-generated financial model loses millions, when AI-written code creates vulnerabilities, when an AI strategy fails - someone human must answer for it.
This constraint creates two uniquely human cognitive roles:
1️⃣ Judgment (the evaluator): If you're accountable for outcomes, you must develop superior judgment, regardless of who or what provided the solutions and answers.
As any good leader, beyond solving problems, you need to practice assumption-hunting (sharp about "What would have to be true for this to work?"), develop domain intuition ((able to quickly identify high-risk elements), and have solid priorities.
2️⃣ Inspiration (the connector): Inspiration can only be achieved by relatedness - as the accountable humans.
I keep thinking about Lee Sedol’s lone win against AlphaGo, the first AI Go player in 2016.
He was defeated 4-1, but that one victory moved millions.
Not because of how good he was - he was shockingly outleveled despite initial confidence from Go experts.
But because we felt his struggle: the confusion, desperation, humiliation and then quiet resolve.
We saw ourselves in him.
AI can optimize solutions, but it cannot create the emotional resonance that makes people care about those solutions.
💡 The strategic implication
This suggests a career strategy: develop your capacity for both rigorous judgment under uncertainty and authentic human connection.
The accountable human who can both evaluate AI, and move people to act on it, is the role machines cannot fill.
Everything else might be replaceable.