Phase 1: The Helper Phase (2020-2025)
Where we are nowAI acts as a productivity multiplier. It drafts, suggests, analyzes, but humans make final decisions.
Current reality: - AI writes first drafts, humans edit - AI analyzes data, humans interpret - AI suggests strategies, humans choose
Career impact: - Productivity expectations double - Headcount reduces by 30-40% - Premium on AI-fluent professionals
Phase 2: The Partner Phase (2025-2028)
Where we're headedAI becomes a collaborative partner, handling entire workflows with human oversight.
Coming reality: - AI manages projects with human governance - AI makes decisions within defined parameters - AI creates strategies that humans validate
Career impact: - Traditional management layers collapse - Technical + judgment roles merge - 70% of current roles transform
Phase 3: The Intelligence Age (2028+)
Altman's visionAI surpasses human intelligence in most domains. Humans focus on uniquely human contributions.
Future reality: - AI innovates beyond human imagination - AI solves complex multi-domain problems - AI-human teams tackle civilization-scale challenges
Career impact: - Complete professional redesign - New roles we can't yet imagine - Human premium on consciousness, ethics, meaning