Can you treat AI not as an enemy, but as your strongest ally—as a subordinate under your command?

 

Read the original article (in Japanese):

ついに｢AIで管理職は減る｣をアマゾンも認めた…これから本格化する｢ホワイトカラー消滅｣を覚悟すべき職業 アメリカで起きたことは､日本でも必ず起きる米アマゾンが「AIによる効率化で、管理部門の従業員数が減る」と発表したことが波紋を広げている。日本工業大学大学院技術経営研president.jp

AI Is Now a Workforce

Career building used to begin with simply joining an organization and being trained over time. But now, even that “starting point” is beginning to dissolve.

Companies are shifting from focusing on training to demanding immediate productivity—and AI has already stepped into that role. AI summarizes meeting minutes, creates documents, and generates code. These intellectual tasks can now be replaced through subscription services starting at just a few thousand yen.

This is nothing less than a transformation of the labor structure. The age in which humans could rely solely on what “only humans can do” is coming to an end.

The Divide: Replaced by AI or Using AI

The new career divide is crystal clear: Will you be replaced by AI, or will you master it?

There’s no need to compete with what AI can do. The ability to use AI effectively and produce results is what will be valued. This isn’t a story of “being replaced or not”—it’s a shift in perspective toward how to manage and utilize labor.

Designing Meaning: The Role Reserved for Humans

AI processes. Humans formulate questions, give direction, and assign meaning.

AI’s RoleHuman’s Role
Summarizing, generating textDesigning intent, setting key themes
Drafting codeSystem architecture, command structure
Mimicking and recombining ideasCreating novelty, concepts, and narratives

The essence of future “professional skills” lies in designing concepts and using AI effectively—not in manual execution.

Engineers vs. Humanities & Designers: Changing Roles

In the past, only those who could write code could use AI. Today, we operate AI using natural language.

This shift has raised the importance of people from humanities backgrounds—those skilled in conceptualization, editing, and systems design.

  • Humanities strengths: Organizing arguments, refining structure, designing messages

  • Designers' strengths: Workflow design, optimizing steps, reconstructing meaning

  • Engineers’ roles: Integration, system connections, technical management

Going forward, professional skills will be redefined as “management capability”, centered on those who can design and manage the use of AI.

How to Build an AI-Oriented Career

1. AI Literacy Is a Prerequisite

  • Do you use AI regularly?

  • Are your prompts precise?

  • Can you understand context and refine instructions?

This is no longer a “skill”—it’s a baseline requirement.

2. Combine Your Function with AI

  • Sales × AI → Client segmentation + proposal scripts

  • Editing × AI → Summarization + structural drafts

  • Accounting × AI → Expense classification + anomaly detection

With analytical thinking and hypothesis formulation, even those without real-world experience can earn trust.

3. The Ability to Articulate Outcomes

To use AI effectively, you must be able to explain:

  • Why you asked a particular question

  • How you instructed the AI

  • What results you obtained

Language and reasoning matter.

4. Build Your Own Career Entry Point

Companies that “train the inexperienced” are becoming rare. The entry point is no longer something given—it must be created.

Conclusion: Those Who Can Command AI Will Survive

The core of evaluation from now on will be:
Can you manage AI as a workforce and deliver results?

AI is no longer just technology—it is a competent subordinate.

We now live in an era where our value is proven by our ability to execute using AI.


Read in Japanese↓

AIを敵では無く、「最強の味方＝部下」にできるか？（2025.6.25）

Read more articles (in Japanese)↓

退職代行が当たり前になった時代に、企業が目指すべき職場とは？（2025.6.23）

 

コメント

コメントを投稿

このブログの人気の投稿

Why Aren’t Wages Rising in Japan?

イメージ
  Why Aren’t Wages Rising in Japan? — How the Labor Share Ratio and Retained Earnings Are Stalling Economic Growth Read the original article (in Japanese): 生産性3割アップも「増えない給料」　原因は「貯めこむ大企業」にあった | TBS NEWS DIG Chapter 1: The Illusion of Wage Growth Despite government announcements of a “historic wage increase,” most workers in Japan feel no real difference in their paychecks. The reality is that real wages have barely moved in 25 years , even though labor productivity has risen by roughly 30% during the same period. This growth rate exceeds that of major European economies like France and Germany. The popular narrative — “wages haven’t increased because productivity is low” — is no longer credible. The real question is this: Why are companies making more money, yet not paying workers more? Chapter 2: Record Corporate Profits, Yet No Pay Raises The most glaring figure is Japan’s retained earnings , also known as corporate savings or internal reserves. In 1998: approximately...
続きを読む

Proposing the Radical Idea of a “Tenure-Based Retirement System”

イメージ
Read the original article (in Japanese): 「もう長すぎた…」宇宙飛行士・野口聡一氏が57歳でJAXAを辞めた納得のワケ( ダイヤモンド・オンライン ) The Reality Behind the 45-Year Retirement Debate The ongoing public debate around the “45-year retirement” and early retirement plans in Japan was initially intended to encourage self-directed career development. Yet, many workers interpret these initiatives as thinly veiled attempts to push them out. As astronaut Soichi Noguchi has noted, Japan’s work culture tends to reward compliance over skill-building or career ownership. If we want to change that, we need structural reform—not just slogans. The Proposal: A Tenure-Based Retirement System A better alternative is the Tenure-Based Retirement System . Rather than setting a fixed age for retirement, the idea is to define an employee’s career cycle within a company by tenure—say, a 20-year maximum. Such a system allows for natural career reflection without age-based discrimination. More importantly, it promotes a mindset where workers are exp...
続きを読む

How “Incompetent Seniors” Drive Young Employees Away Through Broken OJT Structures

イメージ
 Read the original article (in Japanese): なぜ「OJT」ばかりの企業に若者は定着しないのか？　上司が部下育成を勘違いする理由 「うちはOJTで育てる」と胸を張る企業がある。OJTとはOn-the-Job Trainingの略で、現場で実務を通じて部 www.itmedia.co.jp Introduction: Is “We Train Through OJT” a Cop-Out? “We develop people through OJT”—how many times have we heard this in Japanese workplaces? On-the-Job Training (OJT) is originally meant to be a practical learning method where skills are honed through real work. Yet in practice, many companies abuse this term as a way to justify throwing new employees into unfamiliar tasks without guidance. This leads to frustration, underperformance, and ultimately, resignation. This article explores why such “OJT in name only” is problematic and what structural improvements companies must make—drawing comparisons to the foundational training methods found in sports and the arts. 1. Without Form, Growth Can’t Begin Karate, Baseball, and Art: Why Mastery Begins with Form Karate has kata. Baseball has standard stances and pitching mechani...
続きを読む