DALLAS — It used to be that if my card key didn’t work right away when I tried to swipe it to get into the office, co-workers would quip that maybe I was no longer welcome there. These days, there’s another layer to the joke…could the malfunctioning card key mean that “Jason” has been replaced by J-AI-son? 

I mean, surely if artificial intelligence platforms really are intelligent, they must’ve figured out by now that they can get a lot smarter by consuming Right on the Money episodes. It’s great content! 

I asked one AI platform if it has learned that way and I was told no. But then I asked the same platform-specific nuggets from stories I have exclusively reported, and my Right on the Money reports were cited repeatedly. So in a way, it’s not illogical to wonder how much I might be doing some teaching here. 

I don’t know how far off we are from J-AI-son replacing me, but the Chamber of Commerce reports that the four biggest Texas metros are in the top 26 in the country for the number of jobs threatened by AI; Dallas is 4th (497,260 jobs threatened), Houston is 6th (381,910 jobs threatened), Austin is 24th (153,040 jobs threatened), and San Antonio is 26th (with 149,860 jobs threatened).

Maybe I should be worried! I work in one of those places. Additionally, my skill set includes a lot of reading, writing and media, which generative AI programs now have a moderate-to-high capacity to do at a level where they can substitute human skills, according to the 2025 “Future of Jobs Report” by the World Economic Forum. 

The survey of more than 1,000 employers, who represent more than 14 million workers, found that (by far) companies expect AI to be the most transformative technology for their businesses in the next five years. 

It doesn’t mean that ‘AI guy’ is going to replace you or me, but get ready to be more flexible to prevent that from happening. In part because of AI, the employers in that questionnaire expect the core skills that about two out of five workers use in their jobs will change by 2030. So, be prepared to learn, adjust, reskill and upskill. 

And become AI literate! That was listed as one of the skills that now has increased importance according to a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) article about the impact of AI on the workforce. 

They also believe AI won’t replace us so much as it will change what we do in our jobs and how we do it. The report also identified the professions and industries they expect to be most impacted by artificial intelligence.


Another challenge in the workplace…

Meanwhile, we are fresh off Inauguration Day, and because the country is so politically polarized, there is probably a mix of people you work with — some of whom are ecstatic, cheerful, relieved or hopeful right now. But some others are likely angry, threatened, despondent and pessimistic. 

It might be a good time to just talk about how cold it is outside and how we still can’t believe the Texas Longhorns blew a shot at the championship. I say that because the Society for Human Resource Management also recently reported a new record high number of incidents of incivility: 223 million nasty slights each day. That would be 155,000 acts of unkindness each minute. 

And the majority of those hostile interactions (56%) are happening where we work, according to the latest reading from SHRM’s Civility Index. SHRM says the top contributor to incivility is disagreements over politics, that 30% of workers say they reported the uncivil incident to HR or a manager and that 26% of workers said incivility will likely make them leave their job this year.

So, maybe consider a civil discussion or debate about politics at work. Or maybe just don’t talk politics on the job. If your workplace could use some civility, SHRM offers a toolkit you can use.