Future-Proof Your Career in the AI Era: Expert Tips on Building Human Skills and Networks

The AI Job Disruption: What You Need to Know

Sometimes a number makes you gasp. It's 900,000: that's the number of jobs likely to be lost to artificial intelligence (AI) in Ireland, according to figures from the Central Bank of Ireland. A paper published by the bank found that between 13% and 31% of all employed individuals—standing at 2.8 million by the end of 2025—are at risk of job displacement due to new technology.

If this prediction comes to pass, a large percentage of the working population could face unemployment, with younger workers and women being more vulnerable. Customer service workers, clerical support workers, and sales assistants are at the highest risk of replacement, while professionals in science, engineering, law, and information and communications technology may remain largely unscathed.

The Central Bank has urged governments to develop policies focused on targeted reskilling, upskilling, and investment in lifelong learning for impacted groups. But what does this mean for you as you climb the career ladder?

The Breakdown of Traditional Career Paths

Giselle Goodwin, an expert in work and wellbeing, explains that the traditional "start at the bottom" model is quietly breaking down. "The bottom rung—the admin, the summaries, the basic research, the endless 'can you just...' tasks—are exactly what AI tools are taking over. Not perfectly, but fast, cheap, and good enough," she says. This creates an awkward situation: "We still expect young people to have experience, but we are steadily removing the roles that allowed them to gain it."

Human resources consultant Andrea Dermody adds that despite the hype and fear around AI, many organizations haven't yet figured out how it will impact their work. "As much as people of this generation are confused about what the future's going to hold, their organizations haven't figured it out yet either." She notes that many current job losses may be opportunistic cost-cutting measures rather than direct results of AI adoption.

Strategies for Career Success in the AI Era

Get Curious, Stay Human

If AI threatens your job, shift from panic to curiosity and strategic thinking. AI tends to replace tasks within a profession, not the entire job. Dermody advises embracing two key areas: AI/digital adoption and human skills. Use this as an opportunity to learn as much as possible. "If you're lucky enough to be in a job, talk to more senior people. Talk to those involved in AI projects. Absorb what's happening in your industry and come to your own conclusions," she says.

Once you've built expertise and confidence, raise your hand for every opportunity to engage with AI in your organization. Dermody emphasizes that while technical expertise often leads to promotions, managers need soft skills. "They're not good communicators or they're not good at building relationships. Historically, this gap becomes most visible at that career stage. Now, we're seeing a shift as you need to develop those human skills much earlier."

Key actions include:

• Build your network and think about your visibility.
• Have mentors and sponsors in the organization to help build relationships.
• Develop your personal brand. "It's never enough to do a good job. You need to be sharing what you're thinking and what you're learning."

Dermody also highlights the rising value of humanities education. "We're going to see increased valuation of humanities-type education where you learn critical evaluation and have really good research skills. Anyone in debate club at school, for example, who understands how to interrogate both sides of an argument, will find they have value to add in this new world."

Create Your Own Path

Envisage your future state of work. "What kind of things do I want to be doing? What do I want my day to look like? Do I want to be educating others or building relationships?" says Dermody. Frame everything—from networking and visibility to mentor choice and project involvement—around this vision.

Goodwin, a serial entrepreneur, encourages young people to think less about following a prescribed path and more about creating their own. "That inevitably sounds like a call to entrepreneurship, which many assume is reserved for the bold, the brash, and the naturally confident. It isn't. Enterprise is just as much about curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to try things that might not work."

The trade-off? "You don't get to coast. Lifelong learning becomes non-negotiable, and so does building relationships. In a world that is increasingly online and automated, the most valuable skills are becoming very human ones: judgment, communication, and the ability to work with and understand other people."

A generational shift is already happening in networking. Goodwin shares, "A friend of mine, a successful entrepreneur, is encouraging his children to get on to LinkedIn early, not for vanity but for visibility. To start thinking about how they present themselves, what they are interested in, and who they are connecting with. The idea that you write a CV at 21 and hope for the best is being replaced by something much more continuous and public."

Embrace the Opportunity for Change

Instead of fearing AI-driven changes, embrace the chance to reshape old models. If AI disrupts work, it also gives us permission to rethink it. The nine-to-five model was designed for an industrial economy that no longer exists. "We now have the chance to design work around outcomes rather than hours, and to build roles that offer more autonomy and, ultimately, better wellbeing. The evidence is already clear that people do better work when they have more control over how they do it," says Goodwin.

Her advice to young people is simple: "Get clear on what you are good at and keep getting better at it. Use AI as a tool to accelerate your thinking, not replace it. And don't assume someone will offer you the first rung of the ladder. Increasingly, you may have to build it yourself."