It’s tempting to think that knowledge work is under siege—that the rise of artificial intelligence threatens to replace writers, strategists, designers, researchers, and other knowledge workers with faster, cheaper virtual alternatives. But I think the opposite is happening. When used well, AI doesn’t replace the knowledge worker. It elevates them.

The difference is in the approach. AI at its best is less a magic trick and more like an eager intern: fast, tireless, and surprisingly insightful—but still in need of direction. A skilled knowledge worker using AI is like a sculptor with a power chisel staring at a beautiful block of marble: they can rough out ideas quickly, test directions faster, and get to the good stuff without burning out on the basics. We don’t lose our craft. We find more ways to practice it and deepen it.

This shift isn't unprecedented. In fact, we’ve seen it before. Without going into a prolonged history lesson, let’s look at the last 75 years or so.

When Jack Kerouac typed On the Road as a single scroll, Truman Capote quipped, "That’s not writing, that’s typing." (The typewriter had been available commercially since 1870, roughly the same amount of time from Capote’s comment in the 1950s to today.) But Kerouac was chasing flow, not formality. A generation later, the Mac first arrived in design studios and was met with skepticism. How could a little gray box replace an X-Acto knife and a wax machine? And when the internet came knocking, many businesses didn’t see the point. The pattern is clear: creative tools change, but creativity adapts and continues to grow.

AI is just the latest chapter in that story.

There’s a term I like for what’s happening right now: Symbiotic Creativity. Coined by my friend Vincent Hunt, it refers to the blend of human creativity and AI-driven insight. It’s not about replacing the human touch. It’s about unlocking new ways to apply it. AI is the fast hand that lets us see our thinking more clearly. Because the words and images it generates aren’t quite ours, we see their flaws more quickly, their promise more easily. It’s like sketching in broad strokes before you dive into the details. Why work to perfect a mediocre idea, or even give it any more time than it requires to vet and discard?

Leaders with Symbiotic Creativity understand that the future of innovation isn’t either human or AI—it’s both. We also believe this shift requires Cognitive Elasticity—the ability to stay fluid in your thinking, to adapt and evolve as new inputs arise. Leaders with Cognitive Elasticity don’t break under change—they bend. They don’t cling to old models—they create new ones. I thank Vince for this concise description as well.

I see this in practice all the time. A friend of mine, a working writer with decades of journalism, podcasting and other forms of storytelling under her belt, wanted to spend more time on the meaningful parts of her work. When she mentioned this wish, I suggested she train a GPT model on her voice and viewpoints and use it to get past the mundane bits—allowing her to focus on the juicy stuff. Another friend, also a seasoned writer but now retired, felt more hesitant. With fewer constraints on his time, the creative struggle felt more like a joy than a bottleneck.

That difference is important. AI helps most when there’s something in the way. A wall of research. A rough first draft. A pile of low-impact tasks. In those cases, AI clears the runway.

Personally, I’ve felt the shift, too. AI has helped me with research, workshop simulations, web coding, and even sketching out terrible logo ideas—which I can then refine into something better. It helps me get started faster and drop into deep work for longer stretches.

I love the craft of creativity. I love making beautiful, intentional, engaging things. And in the service of sharing more of that work—and doing it better, faster, and with greater impact—I’m embracing AI. Not as a threat. Not as a shortcut. But as a new teammate, ready to help.

So I would argue AI isn’t going to eliminate knowledge work. It’s going to expand it. It’s going to deepen it. Companies will always be hiring – it’s just that the spoils will go to those who partner their ideas with the tools and expertise to deliver them efficiently and effectively.