Your experience is your edge if you use it before AI does
Artificial Intelligence isn't coming. It's already here. And it’s gaining power faster than most of us imagined. Raw machine intelligence—fast, tireless, precise. What used to require a team of analysts can now often be generated in seconds by a well-trained large language model.
It’s not about whether I like what’s happening. Or if I agree. It’s about recognizing the shift and deciding how we navigate it. Because here’s the simple truth: white-collar professionals and businesses who don’t adapt will be left behind.
The good news? We have a choice.
While AI is accelerating in raw intelligence, it still lacks what we call crystallized intelligence: wisdom formed by experience. Connecting the dots. That means your edge as a professional is shifting from what you know to how you apply that knowledge. Your scars. Your nuance. Your pattern recognition built through decades. That’s the new currency.
AI can draft the plan, but it can’t sense the room. It can summarize a report, but not mentor a rising star. It can optimize decisions, but it can't earn trust.
In my daily conversations with leaders and business owners, I see different reactions. Some are waiting. Others are moving—rapidly rethinking their value, retooling their skills, and repositioning themselves and their companies.
We have started a powerful wave. You can either be crushed by it—or you can learn to surf it.
Here are three things you can do right now to change your professional journey:
-
Experiment actively with AI tools – Don't outsource your curiosity. Play. Test. Break things. Learn how AI can support you, not replace you.
-
Sharpen your human advantage – Double down on coaching, trust, empathy, strategic thinking. These aren’t soft skills—they’re survival skills.
-
Invest in futureproofing yourself – Make learning a weekly habit. AI literacy. Cross-domain thinking. Build a personal brand around your unique experience.
Don’t wait for permission. Don’t wait for someone else to figure it out for you.
The next decade will separate those who saw it coming and acted from those who looked back and wished they had.
Surf the wave. Now. Before it decides for you.
Hope this inspires.
Have a wonderful rest of your summer if you're in the northern hemisphere.
Paul Donkers
