Pity Bob—He’s Obsolete: A Paradigm Shift in AI Adoption

Back in the late ’90s, one of my professors photocopied a PC Magazine article about Bob, a COBOL programmer who looked forlorn. The language he had spent a decade mastering was being overtaken by a newer programming language called C. The article’s message was clear: Bob was no longer relevant in the evolving tech landscape, and with his aging skill set, he’d soon be looking for a new job.

It was a warning to us—students of technology—that we would always need to upgrade our skills or risk becoming like Bob.

Fast forward 30 years, and technology has crossed a new threshold. Previously, technological evolution focused on speed, stability, user experience, mobility, and security. It stayed in its lane, requiring only tech professionals to adapt and learn.

But now, it’s different. Technology has crossed into the domain of business operations. Suddenly, AI can fully replace hundreds—if not thousands—of jobs that were traditionally performed by humans. Entire sectors once considered “future-proof” are now vulnerable.

In today’s business landscape, survival resembles Darwinian evolution: those who adapt best to their environment will thrive. As a business owner, my company, CTECH, has undergone no fewer than five major pivots and survived three mass extinction events—economic turmoil and pandemics. As an IT firm, our strength was in adapting and ensuring we remained the best.

Now, let’s consider the average business user whose work is threatened because AI can simply do it better. Like Bob, you have an advantage—if you harness it correctly, it could elevate you to the top.

It’s time to adopt AI as your assistant to augment your work.

Whether you're a songwriter, designer, cook, engineer, or teacher, you can leverage your hard-earned skills to create things you never could before. An author, for example, can use AI as a writing assistant to supercharge creativity, proofread work, and go from writing one good book a year to producing two or three great ones. A data entry clerk can use AI to review work for errors and suggest ways to speed up processes. Even a tea sommelier can explore new flavors, evoke new emotions, or describe scenarios where a specific tea would be ideal.

It’s natural to feel like Bob did. But continual learning and reinvention is now the norm. Embrace AI—it’s here to stay. Pandora’s box has been opened and cannot be closed. Rather than burying your head and hoping it won’t affect you, take the opportunity to go from good to great.