Afraid of Losing Your Value in the Age of AI?
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
In my early years in architecture, everything was drawn by hand.
Then came AutoCAD. Then 3D modelling. Then renderings and animations.
The tools kept evolving. But the question never changed:
How will people feel in this space?
Today, with AI entering our work, I find myself returning to that same question. Because lately, many professionals I work with are asking:
“What will happen to me when AI becomes more present in my work?”
But underneath that question, I believe there is something deeper:
“What happens to my value?”
They feel a sense of belonging in their current roles. Yet at the same time, they know they might have to leave because of AI, restructuring, or decisions beyond their control.
So they find themselves pulled by two opposing forces:
Not wanting to attach too deeply
Yet needing to perform at their best
And they start to wonder:
“Will what I do still matter?”
Problem: The Future Feels Uncertain
When the future feels uncertain, people stop investing fully in the present.
Because they are unsure if it will matter.
And yet…
The way we show up today is exactly what builds our next step.
Because your career is a growth vehicle. A vehicle that carries you from one phase to another.
What you build inside it, your skills, your thinking, your adaptability, travels with you.
Solution: What I Learned at BetterUp Uplift
As a BetterUp coach, it was a great pleasure to learn from BetterUP co-founder and CEO Alexi Robichaux, as he opened his not to miss keynote at Uplift 2026 with a question many leaders are asking today:
Why keep investing in people as a great manager when AI can do more of the work?
At first glance, this looks like a strategy question.
But it’s a human one.
After months of research, the scientific team at BetterUp identified four archetypes of AI-ready managers who shape up the conditions for their people.
Automators → High AI, Low Human
Traditionalists → Low AI, High Human
Disengaged → Low AI, Low Human
Calibrators → High AI, High Human
The Calibrators stand out.
They create environments that perform best because their people still feel that they matter.
They engage more deeply
They are more ready for change
They increase effort
In Alexi’s words:
Mattering activates discernment.
This idea deepened even further as he shared the stage with research professor, author, and executive chair of the BetterUp Center for Daring Leadership, Brené Brown.
She described how real transformation happens today:
By breaking things down and resisting the instinct to rebuild them exactly as they were.
By working with emerging toolsets not alone, but in combination with mindset and skillset.
And through coaching.
3 Practical Takeaways
💎 Shape Your Mindset and Skillset
AI is one tool. Your conditions, mindset and your evolving skillset are the others. How do they combine?
💎 Reflect and Refine
What you create today is not final. Revisit your work, define how else you can do it, and build on it. Growth is incremental.
💎 Own Your Mattering
“I matter. Here and now.”
This is not just a belief, it shapes your decisions, your energy, and your impact. Weather in your current position or in your future one.
“Will AI replace me?”
Fair enough to wonder, not enough to define how you show up. Ask yourself:
“Am I using everything available to me; tools, mindset, and skills to become my next version?”
If you’re navigating this space right now, let's talk!
Warmly,
Dilek
Check related FREE resources:
Check further resources and reading:
Alexi Robichaux’ BetterUP Uplift 2026 Event Opening Keynote: ‘Platypuses, particles, and play: The value of human work in the age of AI’
JOIN THE "MOVE FORWARD WEEKLY" COMMUNITY!
Every week, you'll receive a blend of personal stories; thought-provoking insights; practical coaching tools; inspiring TED talks; must-read books and real life problem-solving tips, all rooted in over 2000 hours of coaching and training, without effort.
Click the button bellow to get more of these free insights directly into your inbox! All for FREE!
Explore FREE Resources:
Book Your Session with Dilek:
Official Collaboration Partners:
★ Lead Coach at the global coaching platform BetterUp based in USA.
★ Executive Coach and Trainer at SparkUs based in Turkey and Netherlands.
★ Impact Partner for coaching, training & facilitation projects at leadership experts Think Beyond Group based in Austria.
★ Leadership Coach at Percoms AG, based in Switzerland.
