Think AI is going to take all the jobs? Think again. 83% of business leaders believe AI will ELEVATE the importance of uniquely human skills—not replace them. 65% of executives say human creativity remains essential to competitive advantage, even as they pour billions into AI. MIT researchers just released a framework called EPOCH—the human capabilities AI is most likely to complement, not replace. At the top? Creativity. Empathy. Original thought. But here's the paradox: As AI gets more capable, human creativity is actually declining. Students show a 42% decrease in divergent thinking. Junior professionals struggle to ideate without AI prompting. This episode makes the case that your creativity isn't a relic of the pre-AI world—it's your ticket to thriving in the post-AI world. We'll cover the science of what AI can't do, the economics of human creativity, and six actionable strategies to develop your irreplaceable edge. In the age of algorithms, your creativity is your superpower.

5.5 million new businesses in 2023. 19% of Americans are now entrepreneurs. They're not waiting around to see if AI takes their jobs. They're not hoping their companies figure it out. They're not praying, they're one of the lucky ones. They're doing the automating themselves. As an employee, someone else decides your fate. As a business owner, YOU decide. That's not freedom from risk—it's ownership of risk. And in the AI era, owning your risk might be safer than outsourcing it to an employer with no loyalty to you. This episode breaks down the binary outcome for entrepreneurs, specific business opportunities, the AI starter kit, a decision framework for whether YOU should start a business, and a 7-day validation exercise. You're 7 days from knowing if entrepreneurship is your path.

The narrative around AI and jobs has become monotonous: automation bad, humans doomed, learn to code or perish. But what if the very technology threatening jobs is simultaneously creating an entirely new category of work—one that values judgment over algorithms, ethics over efficiency, and management over machine learning?

In Episode 12 of Surviving AI, host Carlo Thompson unpacks "The Oversight Economy"—the rapid emergence of roles designed to govern, audit, and ethically guide AI systems. This isn't just legal compliance; it's a $3.7 billion market projected by 2028, and it's hiring now.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why 14,000+ AI governance positions remain open while entry-level tech hiring has dropped 25%
• The four categories of oversight roles: Ethics & Strategy, Compliance & Risk, Technical Oversight, and Implementation
• Specific job profiles including AI Ethics Officer ($75K-$250K+), AI Compliance Manager ($125K-$200K), AI Auditor ($130K-$188K), and Prompt Engineer ($90K-$300K+)
• The critical regulatory deadlines driving this hiring surge—including August 2, 2026, when EU AI Act enforcement begins for high-risk systems
• Why 72% of AI-exposed job vacancies require management skills, not technical AI expertise
• How to pivot into governance from legal, project management, or humanities backgrounds

Key Statistics:

• Only 1.5% of organizations report being satisfied with their AI governance staffing
• Workers with AI skills earn a 56% wage premium over peers in similar roles
• 77% of new AI jobs require Master's degrees or specialized certifications
• US AI executives average $1.1M total compensation vs. $565K in Europe

Sources referenced: WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, IAPP Survey 2025, Second Talent Industry Report, OECD Future of Work, PwC AI Jobs Barometer, Heidrick & Struggles

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r8bceTpWHX4DZuGoLfLLlaR8ioJHgONVwjgfUnW7AHc/edit?usp=sharing