A few days ago, a college buddy called me. He asked if I knew someone who could run ChatGPT workshops for his employees. My default answer: Peter Mesarec—the guy has put more energy than anyone else into promoting AI in business. My feeds are practically flooded with his posts; not a day goes by without one showing up. :-)
But here’s the thing: learning how to prompt is necessary, but it’s nowhere near enough. That’s not systemic adoption of AI in company processes, and it sure as hell doesn’t lead to automation. Honestly, it feels like the early ’90s, when “boomers” had to take basic computer classes while my generation just figured it out—often by gaming. I never needed a course on how to type a doc in WordStar and save it to a floppy. But without those classes, our parents’ companies would’ve never digitalized. Still, knowing how to switch on a computer didn’t mean you’d transformed the business. Same today: knowing how to prompt ≠ transformation.
AI is the next big leap in automation. It’s swallowing tasks that used to belong only to humans. The pressure to deliver more, faster, cheaper leaves companies no choice. Add shrinking workforce numbers, and it’s a done deal. Even in customer experience—the very space we try to transform—AI breakthroughs are overdue.
Which brings me back to the workshop story: company leadership needs a much bigger, strategic lens. The game is flipping faster than most realize. Less than three years ago, ChatGPT 3.5 dropped like a bomb. Today, that same tech is running parts of contact centers, creating content, and personalizing campaigns instead of marketers. Routine stuff is disappearing faster than expected.
We humans will become builders and trainers— and everyday lesss a part of hybrid teams on the operational floor. We won’t “do the work” anymore; we’ll set goals, build frameworks, train models. Over time, agents will even start creating other agents. Sounds like sci-fi, but tech giants are betting big on it. And right now, tech is outrunning both regulation and trust.
Your people vs. hybrid teams?
Will we reach the day when “it all runs itself”? Probably. Will I still be working then? Who knows (I’m pushing 50 today). But here’s the hard truth: today, companies must at least be in a human-in-the-loop phase, where AI agents run end-to-end processes and humans supervise—stepping in when the AI tangles itself up or risks going off the rails. If you’re not thinking about this already, you’re behind. And if you’re still buying software just for your people, remember: your competitors are already fielding hybrid teams against you.
Don’t just take my word for it—watch HubSpot’s official highlights from this year’s Inbound in San Francisco. Here’s the link.