Generative AI Offers Major Benefits for Independent Workers

Generative AI Offers Major Benefits for Independent Workers February 18, 2025

Strategic AI integration for independent workers

In the ever-evolving landscape of work, the emergence of generative AI has sparked both curiosity and concern among professionals. Yet, for independent knowledge workers who navigate the complexities of high-end tasks daily, this technological advancement offers a unique set of opportunities and challenges. My conversation with Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners, sheds light on the nuanced impact of generative AI on this distinct segment of the workforce.

The Surprising Optimism Among Independent Workers

Everson’s insights begin with an optimistic note: a significant majority of independent workers do not see their jobs being replaced by generative AI in the near future. In fact, only 8% of independent workers surveyed by MBO Partners anticipate their roles might be at risk within the next five years—a stark contrast to the 13% in the broader full-time workforce. 

This optimism, as Everson explains, stems from the specific nature of tasks performed by high-end independent workers—tasks that often involve complex decision-making with unstructured data, areas where AI has yet to fully excel. These workers are involved in dynamic environments where judgment and adaptability play critical roles—qualities that AI, for all its advances, cannot completely replicate. The nuanced understanding of their professional landscape helps these workers view AI not as a threat, but as a potential tool to enhance their own capabilities.

The Strategic Use of Generative AI

Beyond the fear of obsolescence, there is a proactive engagement with AI among independent workers. According to Everson, 37% of independent professionals are already integrating generative AI into their daily tasks. This is not about replacing human intellect but augmenting it to handle more routine aspects of their roles, thereby elevating their strategic value to clients. 

This trend reflects a broader historical pattern: technological innovation, while disruptive, often creates more opportunities than it extinguishes. Everson points out that by automating the more mundane tasks, independent workers can focus on higher-value, more complex activities that require a human touch. This strategic incorporation of AI allows them to provide more sophisticated, tailored services that better meet the needs of their clients, ultimately making their offerings more competitive and indispensable in a market that increasingly values personalized and agile solutions.

Rethinking Job Structures with AI

Everson’s strategic framework for understanding AI’s impact across different job structures is insightful. He categorizes tasks based on salary ranges and complexity: structured tasks earning less than $50,000 annually, semi-structured tasks in the $50,000 to $150,000 range, and complex, high-stakes decision-making tasks at salaries over $150,000. This salary-based stratification provides a clear perspective on how AI might be applied differently depending on the complexity and value of the tasks involved. 

For lower salary ranges, where tasks are more structured and repetitive, AI integration can be swift and impactful, significantly improving efficiency and reducing the need for human intervention. However, as the complexity of tasks and the salary increase, the integration of AI becomes more challenging. At the highest salary levels, where strategic and unstructured decision-making prevails, AI has yet to develop the capability to fully replicate human judgment. Here, AI is used more as a support tool, enhancing human decision-making rather than replacing it. This nuanced understanding is critical for businesses planning their long-term strategy around AI integration, ensuring that they align AI’s capabilities with the right job roles to maximize effectiveness and efficiency.

Embracing AI to Remain Competitive

Everson compellingly argues that the true challenge in the era of generative AI is not the technology itself, but the ability of companies and professionals to adapt and harness its potential. The narrative that AI will lead to widespread job elimination oversimplifies the multifaceted impact of AI in the workplace. Instead, Everson highlights the enhancement of job functions as a critical benefit of AI adoption. By integrating AI into their workflows, businesses can not only improve their operational efficiencies but also enhance their strategic capabilities, making them more competitive in a rapidly evolving market. 

This approach helps secure a company’s position in the future job market, where being technologically adept and adaptable will be key determinants of success. For professionals, keeping pace with AI developments and proactively incorporating these technologies into their skill sets can turn potential threats into significant career opportunities, emphasizing the importance of a mindset geared towards continuous learning and innovation.

Generative AI as a Catalyst for Job Creation

Everson illuminates the role of generative AI in fostering job creation, grounding his argument in historical precedents that demonstrate how technological innovation often leads to expanded markets and increased demand for labor. He references the transformative impact of platforms like Uber, which not only revolutionized the transportation industry but also significantly expanded the market size from a hundred million to three hundred million dollars in just five years in San Francisco alone. 

This expansion was not merely a shift but an enhancement that created more opportunities and jobs than previously existed. Everson posits that generative AI is poised to have a similar effect, particularly as it enhances customer experiences and streamlines internal processes. As businesses adopt AI to improve efficiencies, they are likely to discover new service offerings and market opportunities, which in turn could lead to the creation of new job categories. This suggests that AI, far from being a mere tool for automating existing tasks, can act as a springboard for innovation and market growth, paving the way for new kinds of employment that are today, perhaps, unimaginable.

Practical Advice for Independent Workers

In light of these evolving dynamics, Everson offers practical guidance for independent workers to adapt and thrive in an AI-enhanced market. His dual strategy emphasizes the importance of cultivating a mindset of curiosity and an active engagement with AI technologies. By directly interacting with AI tools, experimenting, and exploring their functionalities, independent workers can gain a practical understanding of how these technologies can enhance their work, streamline operations, and open up new avenues for business. This hands-on experience is invaluable, as it allows professionals to discover and innovate in ways that formal education alone cannot provide. 

However, Everson also stresses the importance of complementing this experiential learning with formal training and certifications in AI applications. This more structured approach to understanding AI ensures that independent workers not only keep pace with technological advancements but also enhance their professional credentials, making them more attractive to clients and collaborators who are increasingly prioritizing technological proficiency. Together, these strategies equip independent workers with the tools necessary to navigate and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the ongoing integration of AI into the workforce.

Concluding Thoughts: A Call for Openness and Adaptability

As we concluded our interview, Everson emphasized the importance of adopting a mindset open to innovation. Viewing generative AI as an opportunity rather than a threat allows professionals to explore new possibilities and secure a competitive edge. His parting advice is clear: Embrace change, engage with new technologies, and be prepared to adapt, for this is the path to not just surviving but thriving in the evolving landscape of work. As I help companies I work with adapt to the future of work and integrate Generative AI into their activities, I will recommend they listen to this interview.

Key Take-Away

Independent workers view generative AI as a tool for enhancement, not a threat. By strategically integrating AI, they can streamline tasks, boost competitiveness, and unlock new opportunities in an evolving job market….>Click to tweet

 

Image credit: Artem Podrez/pexels


Dr. Gleb Tsipursky was lauded as “Office Whisperer” and “Hybrid Expert” by The New York Times for helping leaders use hybrid work to improve retention and productivity while cutting costs. He serves as the CEO of the boutique future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. Dr. Gleb wrote the first book on returning to the office and leading hybrid teams after the pandemic, his best-seller Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams: A Manual on Benchmarking to Best Practices for Competitive Advantage (Intentional Insights, 2021). He authored seven books in total, and is best know for his global bestseller, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters (Career Press, 2019). His cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 650 articles and 550 interviews in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, USA Today, CBS News, Fox News, Time, Business Insider, Fortune, and elsewhere. His writing was translated into Chinese, Korean, German, Russian, Polish, Spanish, French, and other languages. His expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, and speaking and training for Fortune 500 companies from Aflac to Xerox. It also comes from over 15 years in academia as a behavioral scientist, with 8 years as a lecturer at UNC-Chapel Hill and 7 years as a professor at Ohio State. A proud Ukrainian American, Dr. Gleb lives in Columbus, Ohio. In his free time, he makes sure to spend abundant quality time with his wife to avoid his personal life turning into a disaster. Contact him at Gleb[at]DisasterAvoidanceExperts[dot]com, follow him on LinkedIn @dr-gleb-tsipursky, Twitter @gleb_tsipursky, Instagram @dr_gleb_tsipursky, Facebook @DrGlebTsipursky, Medium @dr_gleb_tsipursky, YouTube, and RSS, and get a free copy of the Assessment on Dangerous Judgment Errors in the Workplace by signing up for the free Wise Decision Maker Course at https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/newsletter/.

About Dr. Gleb Tsipursky
Known as the Disaster Avoidance Expert, Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is on a mission to protect leaders from dangerous judgment errors known as cognitive biases, which devastate bottom lines and bring down high-flying careers. His expertise and passion is developing the most effective and profitable decision-making strategies, based on pragmatic business experience and cutting-edge behavioral economics and cognitive neuroscience, to empower leaders to avoid business disasters and maximize their bottom lines. You can learn more here https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/glebtsipursky/ The bestselling author of several books, Dr. Tsipursky is best known for his national bestseller on avoiding disasters and achieving success in business and other life areas, The Truth Seeker’s Handbook: A Science-Based Guide. His next book, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters, is forthcoming with Career Press in November 2019. It’s the first book to focus on cognitive biases in business leadership and reveal how leaders can overcome these dangerous judgment errors effectively. After that he’s publishing The Blindspots Between Us: How to Overcome Unconscious Cognitive Bias and Build Better Relationships with New Harbinger in April 2020, the first book to focus on cognitive biases in professional and personal relationships and illustrate how we can defeat these dangerous judgment errors in our relationships. See more information here https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/author-page/ Dr. Tsipursky’s cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 400 articles he published and over 350 interviews he gave to popular venues that include Fast Company, CBS News, Time, Scientific American, Psychology Today, The Conversation, Business Insider, Government Executive, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inc. Magazine, and many others, as you can see here https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/media/ Dr. Tsipursky's expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, speaking, and training for businesses and nonprofits. He serves as the CEO of the boutique consulting, coaching, and training firm Disaster Avoidance Experts, which uses a proprietary methodology based on groundbreaking research to help leaders and organizations maximize their bottom lines by addressing potential threats, seizing unexpected opportunities, and resolving persistent personnel problems. His clients include Aflac, Balance Employment Assistance Provider, Edison Welding Institute, Fifth Third Bank, Honda, IBM, International Coaches Federation, Ohio Hospitals Association, National Association of Women Business Owners, Sentinel Real Estate, The Society for Human Resource Management, RealManage, The Columbus Foundation, Vistage, Wells Fargo, the World Wildlife Fund, and over a hundred others who achieve outstanding client results. You can learn more about that here: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/about Dr. Tsipursky also has a strong research and teaching background in behavioral economics and cognitive neuroscience with over 15 years in academia, including 7 years as a professor at the Ohio State University and before that a Fellow at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. His dozens of peer-reviewed academic publications include journals such as Behavior and Social Issues, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, and International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy. His civic service includes over 4 years as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Intentional Insights, an educational nonprofit advocating for research-based decision-making in all life areas. He also co-founded the Pro-Truth Pledge, a civic project to promote truthfulness and integrity for individual professionals and leaders in the same way that the Better Business Bureau serves as a commitment for businesses. He serves on the Advisory Board of Canonical Debate Lab and Planet Purpose, and is on the Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed journal Behavior and Social Issues. A highly in-demand international speaker, Dr. Tsipursky has over two decades of professional speaking experience across North America, Europe, and Australia. He gets top marks from audiences for his highly facilitative, interactive, and humor-filled speaking style and the way he thoroughly customizes speeches for diverse audiences. Meeting planners describe Dr. Tsipursky as "very relatable," as "a snap to work with," and as someone who "does everything that you would want a speaker to do." Drawing on best practices in adult learning, his programs address the wide spectrum of diverse learning styles, as attested by enthusiastic client testimonials and references. He regularly shares the stage with prominent leaders, for example recently speaking on a roundtable panel with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Elhadj As Sy, Chancellor of Austria Brigitte Bierlein, CEO of Penguin Random House Markus Dohle, and billionaire philanthropist and Chair of the Bertelsmann Management Company Liz Mohn. You can learn more about his speaking and see videos here: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/speaking/ Dr. Tsipursky earned his PhD in the History of Behavioral Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2011, his M.A. at Harvard University in 2004, and his B.A. at New York University in 2002. He lives in and travels from Columbus, OH. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, hiking, and playing with his two cats, and most importantly, he makes sure to spend abundant quality time with his wife to avoid disasters in his personal life. Learn more about him at https://DisasterAvoidanceExperts.com/GlebTsipursky, contact him at Gleb[at]DisasterAvoidanceExperts[dot]com, follow him on Instagram @dr_gleb_tsipursky and Twitter @gleb_tsipursky. Most importantly, help yourself avoid disasters and maximize success, and get a free copy of the “Assessment on Dangerous Judgment Errors in the Workplace,” by signing up for his free Wise Decision Maker Course at https:// DisasterAvoidanceExperts.com/Subscribe You can read more about the author here.
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