A new tool appears at work. Someone mentions a hiring freeze. You begin to wonder: “Will AI replace my job?” Your job title cannot answer that question. The questions below will help you see what you know about your own situation—and what you still need to find out.
What are you paid to make happen?
Write one sentence about the result of your work. Who relies on it, and what would they miss if you stopped doing it? A job description may list dozens of tasks; the result tells you why those tasks exist.
Now ask which parts a colleague, manager or customer might do for themselves with AI. Could the same work be covered by fewer people? Where would they still need your judgement, help with exceptions or accountability? What evidence do you have?
If that is hard to picture, try the 20-minute task audit first. It helps you map one real piece of work.
What has actually changed?
Make two short lists. Under “I have seen”, put specific changes: fewer requests, a new tool in regular use, different expectations, or work moving to someone else. Under “I am assuming”, put the conclusions you have drawn from those changes.
Consider another explanation for each signal. A quiet month might reflect budget pressure or seasonality. A faster draft may leave the checking work untouched. The ILO’s 2025 research finds that changes to jobs are a more likely broad effect of generative AI than wholesale replacement of most occupations; it cannot tell you what your employer will decide.
Which question could someone help you answer?
Choose the assumption that matters most. You might ask a manager: “As this work changes, which results will you still need from my role?” A freelancer might ask a client which work they now handle themselves and where they still want support. Pick someone close enough to the work to give you a useful answer.
Use the answer to choose your next move
Once you have checked, which of these comes closest to your situation?
- People still need the result, but the work is changing. Ask which contribution matters most now. Choose one way to improve or show that contribution, and agree how you will judge it in a month.
- You cannot yet tell what will happen to demand. Name the missing fact and who can clarify it. Set a date for that conversation. Meanwhile, note the results you have delivered and identify one adjacent role or client need worth exploring.
- Requests are falling, work is being reassigned, or your role is formally at risk. Check whether the shift is temporary. If a restructure is proposed, get its scope, timetable and available support. Begin looking at internal and external options now; the pressure may have several causes.
Write a conclusion you can revisit
Complete this sentence: “Based on ___, my role currently looks [in demand but changing / uncertain / under pressure]. I will ___ by ___, and I will reassess if ___.” This gives you a working answer to the question you started with—and a way to update it when the facts change.
If you want to build a fuller plan from that answer, the free ADAPTOR framework guide connects your work profile and personal SWOT to goals and action.