How AI Is Making Some Workers Superhuman
AI is making some workers faster, smarter, safer, more productive, more efficient, and even superhuman through AI-powered assistance and automation.
11/22/20253 min read
What the Winners Know That Everyone Else Is Missing
There's a moment in every major technological shift where society splits into two groups: those who adapt and those who resist.
The typists who learned word processing thrived. Those who insisted on typewriters became obsolete.
The photographers who embraced digital survived. Those who bet everything on film studios went bankrupt.
The retailers who built e-commerce platforms flourished. Those who ignored the internet became cautionary tales.
We're at that moment again. Right now.
The 43% Secret
Research from Vanguard uncovered something fascinating: for roughly 4 out of 5 jobs, AI's impact results in about 43% time savings.
Read that again. 43%-time savings.
Imagine finishing your work week by Wednesday afternoon. Imagine having an assistant who never sleeps, never takes breaks, and can process information at speeds no human can match.
That's not science fiction. That's 2025.
Gallup reports that 40% of U.S. employees now use AI in their roles—nearly double the 21% from just two years ago. And these workers aren't having their jobs eliminated. They have their capabilities multiplied.
Meet the Augmented Worker
The most successful professionals in 2025 aren't the ones with the highest IQ or the most degrees. They're the ones who've figured out how to use AI as a "copilot” partnership where AI handles the routine cognitive tasks while humans focus on what we do best: judgment, creativity, and strategic thinking.
Here's what this looks like in practice:
The Augmented Developer doesn't write every line of code from scratch. They use AI to generate boilerplate code, catch bugs, and suggest optimizations—while they focus on architecture, user experience, and solving novel problems.
The Augmented Writer doesn't stare at blank pages. They use AI for research, outlining, and first drafts—while they focus on voice, storytelling, and emotional resonance.
The Augmented Analyst doesn't manually sift through spreadsheets. They use AI to identify patterns, generate insights, and create visualizations—while they focus on strategic interpretation and business recommendations.
The Augmented Designer doesn't start from zero. They use AI to generate variations, test concepts, and handle technical execution—while they focus on creative direction and user psychology.
The pattern? AI handles repetitive cognitive labor. Humans handle judgment calls.
Money Follows the Skills
Here's where it gets interesting.
According to PwC's 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer:
• AI is linked to a fourfold increase in productivity growth
• Jobs requiring AI skills command a 56% wage premium
• The median annual salary for AI roles: $156,998
But here's what most people miss: you don't need to become a machine learning engineer to benefit from AI.
The Dark Side We Can't Ignore
Not everyone is benefiting equally from this transformation.
The data reveals an uncomfortable truth: AI is creating a new kind of inequality. Not just between the employed and unemployed, but between the augmented and the non-augmented.
Research shows:
• Skills required for AI-exposed jobs are evolving 66% faster than other roles
• Black workers are overrepresented in positions at high risk of automation
• Demand for AI literacy has increased by 866% in just one year
And competing against AI? That's a race you're going to lose.
Anxiety Underneath
Here's what surveys reveal about how American workers really feel:
• More than half fear their skills will become obsolete
• 76% of desk workers feel urgency to build AI expertise
• But only 22% say their organization has communicated a clear AI strategy
• And only 7% of HR leaders are working on reskilling strategies
Translation: Workers know they need to adapt, but most companies aren't helping them do it.
What's Next
In the final installment of this series, I'm going to give you the roadmap: the specific skills that are recession-proof and AI-proof, the strategies that successful workers and forward-thinking companies are using right now, and the truth about what it takes to not just survive but thrive in the age of AI.
The AI revolution doesn't have to be something that happens TO you. It can be something you actively shape.