How AI Will Affect Your Job and Your Kids’ Future

How AI Will Affect Your Job and Your Kids’ Future

Over the years, my trainings have continued to evolve, usually taking the shape of whatever the latest trend is in social media or technology. The platforms change. The tools change. The concerns change. But my angle has always stayed the same: how is this affecting our kids, and what do we need to do about it?

That has always been the question for me.

I believe it is imperative that, as adults, we know how to lead our children and teach them how to handle difficult times, no matter what those times look like. It is our job to be active participants in helping them grow into young adults who can look at a situation, analyze the variables, think through possible outcomes, and make the best decision for both their current situation and their future.

That kind of growth does not happen by accident. It requires involvement. It requires leadership. And it requires adults who are willing to keep learning, even when the world our kids are growing up in looks very different from the one we knew.

Our Kids Are Growing Up in a Different World

Our kids are dealing with things we never had to deal with growing up. They are navigating social media, group chats, gaming culture, online comparison, algorithm-driven attention, constant connection, and now artificial intelligence. Many of these things did not exist when we were kids, and even if some early forms of technology were around, they were nothing like what young people are facing today.

That creates a challenge for adults.

We are being asked to lead kids through doorways we never had to walk through ourselves.

We did not grow up managing a digital identity.
We did not have to worry about something embarrassing being screenshot and shared.
We did not have AI tools offering answers, advice, images, and companionship at the click of a button.
We did not have an internet culture that followed us home, into our bedrooms, and into our heads.

But even though we did not experience those things ourselves, we still have to lead.

That can feel difficult. It can feel overwhelming. And it can leave adults feeling like they are already behind.

That is one of the reasons I have spent so many years trying to help parents and professionals understand the world kids are growing up in. It is not about scaring people. It is about helping them see clearly. If we understand what has changed, we are in a much better position to respond wisely instead of react emotionally.

AI Is Different

Now, with AI, we are entering a new phase.

This is not just another app. It is not just another trend. It is not just one more thing kids are experimenting with online. AI is different. It represents something much bigger, and I think all of us need to be paying attention.

The latest wave of AI, along with the race toward AGI, is going to give us a first-generation experience that we will one day talk to our grandkids about. This is one of those moments in history when the ground is shifting underneath all of us in real time. And unlike many of the tech changes adults have watched from a distance while kids adopted them first, this one is coming for adults too.

AI Is Going to Affect Our Careers

AI is going to affect our careers.

That is a message I have been adding more and more to my trainings. For the last three years, I have been talking pretty heavily with parents about AI, giving them the basics they need to begin their own learning journey and better understand how these technologies may impact their kids. But over the last year, I have been making another point more directly:

This is also going to affect how you work.

That matters because adults cannot lead kids well into the future if they are ignoring what is happening to their own future.

A Simple Prompt Every Adult Should Try

One of the practical tips I have been giving parents is simple. Open an AI tool and type in something like this:

“My job is [job title] in [setting]. How is AI likely to affect my work over the next 3–5 years? Show me what AI may help with, what people will still need to do, what skills I should build, and 5 ways I can start using AI now.”

That is such a simple exercise, but it can be a powerful one.

It helps people move from vague anxiety to practical thinking.
It helps them start identifying what parts of their work may change.
It helps them think about the skills that will still matter.
And it helps them begin using AI instead of just hearing about it.

I also think this is something people should do at least every three months. AI capabilities are growing so quickly that what felt accurate a few months ago may already be outdated. I wrote recently about how fast this space is moving, and I do not think most people fully understand the pace yet.

The People Who Do Best Will Start Learning Now

This week, I was reading an article about a study on which jobs are likely to be affected the most and the least by AI. I encourage people to pay attention to that kind of information. Not because every prediction will be perfect, but because the overall direction is becoming clearer.

The people who do best will not be the ones who panic.
They will not be the ones who dismiss AI.
They will not be the ones who wait until their workplace forces them to adapt.

They will be the ones who start learning now.

Do not wait on this, folks.

Big things are going to be happening over the next year.

Read “Something Big Is Happening”

I also strongly encourage you to read my blog, “Something Big is Happening” based on the post by Matt Shumer. It helps explain what many of the tech builders already understand and what may be coming next. One of the challenges right now is that the people building these tools often see the future coming before the rest of the public does. By the time the average person realizes how much has changed, they are already trying to catch up.

That is not where we want to be.

I do not believe AI is going to destroy humanity. But I do believe it is going to rapidly change the work environment, and I believe many people are underestimating how quickly those changes may arrive.

Why This Matters for Our Kids

And that brings me back to kids.

If we prepare ourselves for how AI is changing the landscape of work, then we will be better prepared to guide our children. We will be in a stronger position to help them think about careers, skills, education, adaptability, and the future. We will be less likely to push them blindly toward paths that may not look the same by the time they graduate.

That matters.

Because the goal is not just to help kids survive the current moment.
The goal is to help them build lives that can hold up in the future.

If we are paying attention, learning, and adapting ourselves, then we are much more capable of leading them well.

And that is what this has always been about for me.

Helping adults understand what is changing, why it matters, and how to step up and lead kids through it.

Stay connected.

~Ryan