Most senior professionals fall into two camps: dismissing AI as hype, or panicking that their entire field is gone. Neither is accurate. The honest answer is in the specifics.
Three signals your function is being structurally re-shaped:
1. The repetitive 60% of your work is showing up in vendor demos. If a SaaS pitch you saw last quarter described automating part of your role's daily output, that's a 12-24 month signal. The technology exists; adoption is the only delay.
2. Your team's headcount is stagnant or shrinking despite output growth. A clear signal that productivity gains are coming from automation, not hiring. Watch what gets cut next.
3. New job postings in your function explicitly mention AI tools as required. "Experience with [specific AI tool] preferred" in JDs you used to fit cleanly is a signal the market is re-pricing the function.
If 2 of 3 signals hit, you have 18-24 months before the role looks meaningfully different. That's enough runway to reposition deliberately, not to panic.
What's it look like in your function?
— Dr. Hosney Adel