The rise of AI is making the ability to persuasive more important than ever before.
The rise of AI is making younger and older workers alike increasingly uneasy. Nearly every conversation I have, especially with young professionals, seems to center on the same worry: Will AI replace them, take their jobs and rob them of a livelihood?
Fortunately, the answer is no, as long as they master the new super-skill: persuasion. By mastering this skill, they can not only avoid displacement — they can quickly climb the career ladder and thrive professionally and personally by learning to sell themselves and their ideas with maximal effectiveness.
After all, persuasion — rightly understood as “shared action” — is a uniquely human skill that can never be replaced by AI.
Blue- and white-collar professionals alike face the challenging reality that more and more tasks can be automated. A November 2025 report from McKinsey found that 57% of U.S. work hours are technically automatable today. Boston Consulting Group estimated earlier this year that 50-55% of jobs will be reshaped by AI in the next two to three years, and 12% could be substituted.
AI is already well-positioned to take over many routine, digital and text-heavy tasks. Tasks such as:
Writing: AI can generate coherent texts, including books (an issue at the heart of a growing number of publishing controversies), op-eds and even email. Gmail suggested a surprisingly good response to a query I just received from my boss.
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