Every generation believes its jobs are safe—until they aren’t.
When ATMs arrived, many assumed bank tellers would disappear. They didn’t. Their role changed. Self-checkout altered retail. GPS replaced paper maps. The internet reshaped travel agencies. Technology has never stopped changing work; it has simply changed what work people are paid to do.
Artificial intelligence is accelerating that cycle.
But according to business executive Marc Marling, many people are asking the wrong question.
Instead of asking, “Will AI take my job?” they should ask, “Which parts of my job can already be automated?”
Marling points to an unlikely example: George Jetson.
In the classic cartoon, George lives in a futuristic world filled with flying cars, robot maids, and advanced automation. Yet every day he commutes to an office where his primary responsibility is pressing a single button.
It’s funny because it feels absurd.
It’s also surprisingly relevant.
If a person’s value is reduced to repeating predictable tasks, technology eventually catches up. AI doesn’t need coffee breaks, vacations, or sleep. It excels at routine, repeatable work.
Humans, meanwhile, are built for something else.
The people who thrive won’t necessarily be the ones with the most technical knowledge. They’ll be the ones who solve problems, communicate clearly, build trust, and exercise judgment when there isn’t an obvious answer.
Ironically, those skills seem to be disappearing.
Marling tells a story about someone trying to make a restaurant reservation. They couldn’t book online, so they simply gave up. The idea of calling the restaurant never crossed their mind.
It sounds ridiculous.
But versions of that story play out every day in business.
An email goes unanswered, so the opportunity dies. A prospect doesn’t respond after one attempt, so the salesperson moves on. A problem isn’t listed in an app, so people assume it can’t be solved.
Convenience has quietly replaced initiative.
That’s why Marling believes common sense is becoming a competitive advantage.
In a world where AI can draft emails, summarize meetings, and generate presentations in seconds, the ability to have a difficult conversation, build a relationship, or simply pick up the phone becomes increasingly valuable.
Technology raises the floor. Human skills raise the ceiling.
The businesses that succeed won’t be the ones that resist automation. They’ll be the ones that automate repetitive work so people can spend more time doing what only people can do: earning trust, making decisions, creating ideas, and solving messy problems.
The future of work isn’t a battle between humans and AI.
It’s a partnership.
The repetitive tasks will increasingly belong to machines.
The meaningful work will belong to people willing to adapt.
And in an era obsessed with the next breakthrough in artificial intelligence, one of the biggest competitive advantages may turn out to be something surprisingly old-fashioned:
Common sense.
Watch the full episode of the Fervent Four with Marc Marling: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
