Your career can survive the AI takeover—here’s how

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As artificial intelligence becomes a permanent fixture in the modern workplace, the question is no longer whether AI will change jobs, but how workers can remain relevant alongside it. 

According to a 2026 white paper by the World Economic Forum, companies using AI in at least one business function have surged from 55 percent in 2022 to 88 percent today, signaling how deeply the technology is now embedded in day-to-day operations. 

Data from LinkedIn also shows that demand for AI literacy skills rose by 70 percent between 2024 and 2025, extending beyond traditional tech roles into fields such as marketing, sales, and design.

For Mapúa Malayan Digital College (MMDC), these shifts point to a clear reality: in the AI era, complacency and incuriosity are becoming the biggest career risks. 

Derrick Latreille, chief learning officer of MMDC, said the rise of artificial intelligence should be seen less as a threat and more as an opportunity to sharpen skills that allow professionals to work with technology rather than compete against it.

Mastering AI literacy and fluency is all about developing critical thinking skills. AI, no matter its speed, is not failproof. “This is why the term ‘AI slop’ exists. The tech may provide incomplete, overly general content or develop software that will eventually fail or make your systems vulnerable to security threats,”

Latreille explains. He underscores that for now, AI is only as useful as the human engaging it. He adds that it’s only as good as the user, who should be able to understand its tremendous capabilities as well as its inherent limitations. It’s a must for a user to give AI the necessary context and clarity.

“Anyone can use AI, but not everyone will be turning in meaningful work. Using AI is just like using any other tool or technology. You have to learn to use it properly and effectively. AI needs to become your competitive advantage, and you can achieve this best by understanding transformers generally, understanding various tools specifically, iterating with settings and learning, and practicing many methods and processes of prompt engineering,” says Latreille.

Here’s a career tip: Don’t make AI your entire personality. Your soft skills matter the most now. If technology is here to stay, so too are humans. The machine is here to free you up to focus on your true strengths and what really matters: creativity, strategic planning, and high-level decision-making.

“Empathy, emotional intelligence, and sound ethical judgement, careful decision making, and imagination are still uniquely human qualities valued in the workplace,” shares Latreille. “Our ability to connect, compromise, negotiate, lead, and motivate is still irreplaceable. Machines are not on the verge of being better than humans in resolving complex workplace conflicts, inspiring a team, and making customers feel seen and heard. In an increasingly automated world, this ‘human touch’ will be the ultimate edge that sets exceptional leaders and organizations apart from the rest.”