If we look back over history, it’s fair to say that industrial revolutions haven’t been great news for blue-collar workforces, as machines have reduced the need for manpower. Meanwhile, increased productivity has benefitted white-collar managers who have seen their wages rise. But the current AI revolution has left white-collar workers in a precarious position as automation has them in its sights.

Let me ask a question. Have you tried to get ChatGPT to write something for you, even put together a pitch? The results are not to be sniffed at. And given that humans are by their very nature quite lazy – not you, of course – use of these kinds of tools is a trend only set to continue. 

But against a backdrop of increasingly generic AI output, the differentiator is becoming more and more personal. It’s how individuals make their mark that will allow them to stand out from the ChatGPT crowd. If your ability to compete rests on your ability to be unique, then the AI revolution should mean that people who offer positive uniqueness become increasingly more relevant and employable. 

Don’t allow AI to define your capability, because if it does, what value are you adding? Instead, it’s about using AI to help you demonstrate your greater capability. In practical terms, when you turn to AI to help with a project, don’t simply resort to cut and paste, but use it as a baseline and a starting point for personalisation. Recreate it in your own words. 

Using AI as a co-pilot rather than an autopilot can make it a force for good, but the reality is that a lot of people will take the easy option and become lost in a sea of generic standards. Meanwhile, the best people will retain their own standard in a way that differentiates them more and more and leaves them less at risk of the inevitable downsizing impact of AI on a white-collar workforce.

Differentiation and success will also increasingly hinge on the prowess of our softer skills; our ability to influence, persuade and negotiate. Ultimately, it’ll be the things that make us unique as humans that will determine what (and who) wins, as everything else becomes gradually more standardised. 

The full impact of AI on the accountancy profession remains unknown. It could mark the first time white collar workers are negatively impacted by an industrial revolution. There will be winners and losers. Winners are those who succeed in being the most interpersonally, emotionally and intuitively capable leaders that it’s possible for them to become. One way to develop those skills is to be around people who are like that and learn from them. 

And yet, remote working continues to put a spanner in the works when it comes to developing some of those softer skills, because very few people learn those kinds of skills intuitively – a point I made in a previous article. If you’re not around more experienced, talented people, you are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to learning from the best. 

My practical advice for developing those skills is to find the people in your organisation who demonstrate those skills to the greatest level possible. Implant yourself in their conversations and meetings, observe them and learn from the best about why they are so good. You don’t need AI to do that. 

Mark Freebairn, Partner and Head of CFO & Board Practices, Odgers Berndtson, and ICAEW Board member

The views and opinions expressed by the author are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions or policies of ICAEW.