Happy Wednesday {{first_name | EduCreator}}!

Welcome to your quick dose of AI insights. The past 48 hours have been busy in the world of AI. Normally I try to narrow down the biggest trends and updates to just 5 but this week there are so many to choose from. So you’re getting 7.

McKinsey's new report on "superagency in the workplace" shows generative AI could automate up to 70% of time spent on current work activities, with major implications for young professionals.

Here’s the question people are asking: while AI automates work, is it also removing the very experiences that build great leaders? Let's discuss what this means for the future of work, education, and creativity.

McKinsey's new report reveals that AI could automate 70% of work activities, with generative AI's "superagency" capabilities transforming the workplace [1]. This isn't a distant future prediction, it's an analysis of current AI capabilities and their immediate impact on how we work. 📊⚡

This represents a fundamental shift in the nature of work itself. We're not talking about AI replacing specific jobs. We're talking about AI handling the majority of activities within most jobs.

For educators, this is a wake-up call: the skills we're teaching students today may be automated tomorrow.

For creators, it's both opportunity and threat: AI can handle 70% of the work, but that also means 70% of what you do might not be your competitive advantage anymore.

The question becomes: what's in your 30%?

Let’s get to the rest of this week’s highlights…

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The past 48 hours in AI have been marked by a significant push towards both real-world application and critical self-reflection. McKinsey's automation prediction and new creative AI tools are advancing rapidly, while simultaneously, critical analyses suggest AI is erasing leadership development experiences and now writes over 50% of online content.

This creates a profound tension for some: AI is making us more productive while potentially making us less capable and less authentic.

But is it really?

Here's what's defining the moment:

Black Forest Labs Launches Flux.2 Image Models: New AI image generation models launched to compete in the intensifying creative AI space [2]. The competition in AI creativity tools is accelerating, making professional-grade image generation accessible to everyone—but also raising questions about what makes creative work valuable.

Forbes: AI Erasing Leadership Development Experiences: Analysis suggests AI automation is removing the very experiences that build great leaders, with young professionals losing developmental opportunities to AI [3]. We should be asking ourselves, what new skills and opportunities will AI bring to young professionals and future leaders?

AI Art Authorship Questions Intensify: When algorithms create, who's the artist? AI-generated music albums and art are raising fundamental questions about creativity and ownership [4]. This isn't just a legal question. It's a philosophical one about what creativity means and who gets credit for it.

Anthropic Launches Claude Opus 4.5: New AI model with enhanced coding capabilities and shift toward reasoning and agentic AI, designed for coding and everyday office work tasks [5]. The tools are getting more powerful, more accessible, and more capable of handling complex work, accelerating the 70% automation trend.

Google Launches Nano Banana AI in Messages: Remix tool allows users to generate and edit images with AI directly in Google Messages app, bringing creative AI to mainstream messaging [6]. AI creativity is moving from specialized tools to everyday apps, making it ubiquitous and normalized.

AI Now Writes 50%+ of New Online Articles: AI now generates more than half of new online content, raising questions about human authorship, authenticity, and content quality [7]. Some think this is the authenticity crisis: when most content is AI-generated, how do we identify and value human-created work? Does human-created work actually become more valuable?

McKinsey's 70% automation prediction combined with AI writing 50%+ of online content means that both the work we do and the content we create are being fundamentally transformed. The path forward isn't resisting AI, it's identifying and developing the irreplaceable 30%.

Here's how:

Identify Your Irreplaceable 30%: If AI can automate 70% of work activities, your value lies in the 30% it can't. What are the activities in your work that require uniquely human capabilities: judgment, creativity, emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning, relationship building, strategic vision? Double down on developing these. Make them your competitive advantage. The 70% will be automated; the 30% is where you build your career.

Seek Developmental Experiences AI Can't Provide: The Forbes analysis about AI erasing leadership development [3] is part of a growing narrative. AI doesn’t need to stop anyone from become a more well-rounded human being. Volunteer for challenging projects, seek mentorship, take on roles that stretch you, bump your head and learn from it. The experiences that feel inefficient or difficult are often the ones that build the capabilities AI can't replicate.

Develop a Clear Authorship Identity: With AI writing 50%+ of online content [7], human authorship becomes a differentiator. Be transparent about your process. Develop a distinctive voice. Share your thinking, not just your conclusions. Let your audience see the human behind the work. In a world of AI-generated content, authentic human perspective becomes more valuable, not less.

Engage in the Creativity and Ownership Debate: The AI art authorship questions [4] aren't just for artists, they affect everyone creating with AI tools. Develop your own ethical framework: When you use AI, how do you credit it? What level of AI assistance feels authentic to you? Where's your line? These aren't abstract questions, they're practical ones that will define your creative practice and professional reputation.

Use New Tools Strategically, Not Reflexively: With Flux.2 [2], Claude Opus 4.5 [5], and Nano Banana [6] launching, powerful AI tools are everywhere. Don't use them just because they exist. Use them strategically: to handle the 70% so you can focus on the 30%. To prototype quickly so you can iterate on ideas. To eliminate drudgery so you can focus on creativity. But don't let tools replace your thinking or your voice.

Prepare Students for the 30%, Not the 70%: If you're an educator, McKinsey's report should fundamentally reshape your curriculum. Don't just teach students to do tasks AI can automate. Teach them judgment, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, creativity, collaboration, and adaptability. Design assignments that require the irreplaceable 30%. The students who graduate with only the 70% skills will struggle; those with the 30% skills will thrive.

McKinsey's 70% automation prediction is not as alarming as it sounds. The automation is already happening. But we shouldn’t be alarmed because 70% of activities doesn't mean 70% of jobs disappear, it means jobs transform.

The Forbes insight that AI is erasing leadership development experiences is showing a lack of innovative thinking. I believe more and more people will become entrepreneurs and paid artists and writers because of AI. I’m one of them. This requires a level of leadership abilities that are like no other experience.

The statistic that AI writes 50%+ of online content isn’t a crisis for authenticity, so we shouldn’t act like it is. As long as we are showing up in real time using our real voice, our community will get to know the real human we are. That will always be most valuable to the people who love us.

When most content is AI-generated, human-created work becomes both more valuable and harder to identify. The future doesn't belong to people who can use AI tools, everyone will have those. It belongs to people who bring irreplaceable human skill, talent, creativity, and character.

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[1] McKinsey: AI Could Automate 70% of Work Activities
[2] Black Forest Labs Flux.2 Image Models
[3] Forbes: AI Erasing Leadership Development Experiences
[4] AI Art Authorship Questions Intensify
[5] Anthropic Claude Opus 4.5 Launch
[6] Google Nano Banana AI in Messages
[7] AI Now Writes 50%+ of New Online Articles

That’s all for now!

Christel

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