This week, the powerhouse professional networking social media website LinkedIn announced it would belaying off nearly 700 employees across its engineering, product, talent and finance teams.

The layoffs come on the heels of an initial round of layoffs that eliminated over 700 jobs and the shutdown of its Chinese app at the Microsoft-owned company in May. According to LinkedIn’s October 2023 Update, the move will make way for the company to adapt its organizational structures, streamline decision-making, and remain competitive in the quickly changing business environment.

It is widely speculated that the layoffs are due to the expansion of AI use at the company. In recent weeks, LinkedIn has rolled out several AI-powered products, including:

• AI-powered coaching
• AI-enhanced products that help with sales generation
• Recruiter 2024, which will help businesses better find and hire the right job candidates.

Among other things, the new AI-powered products will make it easier for businesses and individuals to create ads and other content of all types for the platform.
We will likely see more layoffs affecting writers, marketers, content creators and skilled professionals as companies turn to AI to reduce costs and boost efficiency and productivity. How the job market will absorb AI-displaced employees has yet to be seen, and when you have bills to pay, uncertainty is the last thing that you need. The best way to insulate yourself from the AI expansion is to stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready.
Here are four tips to stay ready for AI:

1. Have a balanced view of AI

Some believe AI is the solution to all of the world’s problems, while others think it will lead to the ultimate destruction of humanity as we know it. I think the truth lies in the middle. AI has the potential to lead to increased growth and productivity and is poised to rapidly change the ways we work, learn and live, but it also comes with a host of moral and ethical concerns that no one has figured out how to solve. A balanced view of AI allows us to see both sides of the equation realistically and empowers us to use AI responsibly.

2. Stay on top of AI developments

Read the latest news about artificial intelligence, listen to podcasts, subscribe to newsletters and read books that help you understand how AI developed and where it’s headed.

3. Learn how to use AI Tools

I know. You don’t need AI to help you do your day-to-day tasks. Right? Use it anyway. The goal is to learn how AI tools work when you don’t need them so you’re a pro at using them when you do. Tinker around with ChatGPT, Bing Chat and other free AI-powered tools to learn how they function, get comfortable using them and determine how to use them to increase your efficiency and productivity.

4. Build Your Brand

AI will eventually make it so that even the largest corporations can function with the smallest teams possible. In this way, AI opens the playing field for influencers, content creators and aspiring entrepreneurs because, with the right amount of know-how, we can use those same AI tools to create profitable brands, businesses and side hustles of our own. There’s no better time to learn how to use your knowledge and expertise to build an AI-powered lean business and position yourself for long-term success than the present.

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