Artificial intelligence is eating at the bottom of the org chart. Entry-level roles in law, programming, research, and other fields built around analyzing information are disappearing, consumed by generative tools that now complete those tasks in seconds.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Used well, AI has been phenomenal for productivity—automating repetitive work, speeding up analysis, and giving teams time back to focus on higher-order problems. But it’s also changing the nature of the work itself. Tasks that once trained junior employees and developed future leaders now go straight to software. Industries are losing both jobs and the learning curves they once relied on.
This shift is more profound than a workforce reshuffle. AI is rebuilding the foundation of knowledge work. The question is no longer how fast we can work, but how we create value in a world where knowledge is free.
Organizations must now reevaluate how they identify and grow talent. Traditional signals—degrees, credentials, years in the field—offer less insight into who can create value in an environment where AI handles the routine. When knowledge becomes cheap, thinking becomes rare.
What matters now is Original Intelligence—the distinctly human ability to generate novel ideas. Only people can produce original insight, and that capability is becoming the most valuable skill in today’s landscape.
Technology has always pushed us forward
Steam and electricity reduced the need for physical labor. Automation shifted work from muscle to oversight. The internet democratized information and accelerated the rise of the knowledge economy.
Now, AI is changing the equation again. Knowledge is no longer a competitive asset—it’s infrastructure. Everyone has access to the same models, the same data, and the same tools. While AI excels at speed and scale, it draws only from what already exists. It can synthesize, predict, and replicate, but can’t challenge assumptions, fuse perspectives, or invent something new.
What AI delivers in efficiency, it erodes in distinctiveness. It predicts the most likely next step, making workflows smooth but predictable. Product copy blurs. Sales strategies echo one another. Strategy decks all start to look the same.
In a market where anyone can generate the same answer, originality becomes the only enduring advantage. The teams that move ahead will combine AI’s scale with human insight to produce outcomes no model can replicate.
I’ve seen this firsthand across six startups—each wave of change forces teams to work differently. But those that succeeded weren’t just faster. They were more original in how they saw around corners and created space for non-obvious thinking.
Humans remain the innovation layer
Original Intelligence does not reside in one department. Product teams use it to rethink features. Sales reframes customer objections. Leadership applies it to challenge assumptions and identify new markets. These moments of creativity distinguish companies that react from those that lead.
Efficiency alone no longer defines success. Advantage now belongs to those who create insights AI cannot. This is the work organizations must prioritize—and the area where most remain underprepared.
Hiring systems continue to overlook original thinkers. They favor conventional credentials—titles, academic pedigree, keyword-optimized resumes—and fail to recognize individuals who think in unexpected ways. Yet other parts of the economy already take a different approach. In venture capital, investors routinely back teams based on how they think, not just what they have built. They place bets on originality before outcomes appear. Companies must learn to identify the conditions for value before it’s reflected in experience or output.
That value begins with how teams are built. Organizations that foster originality assemble people who sharpen each other’s thinking rather than reinforce groupthink. They embed curiosity, humility, and the freedom to question the culture. Original thinking does not thrive under rigid oversight. It requires space, psychological safety, and permission to take risks.
The organizations that pull ahead will accept this reality: AI can scale what is already known, but only humans can imagine what’s next. Original Intelligence is a strategic lever, not a soft skill. It drives invention, accelerates iteration, and positions teams to navigate complexity faster than their competitors.
In a world full of machines that predict what’s likely, the real advantage belongs to the people who see what others don’t—and have the freedom to act on it. The question leaders should ask today isn’t whether they are designing teams and systems to use AI. It’s whether they’re building the conditions for Original Intelligence to thrive.
Erich Baumgartner is a veteran tech executive and six-time startup exit leader with deep expertise in building and scaling category-defining software companies. As co-founder of Hupside, Erich is spearheading the development of a first-of-its-kind platform that quantifies originality in human work products. His focus is on helping companies identify and empower the thinkers who “see around corners”—those capable of true innovation in an AI-saturated economy. With roots in cybersecurity and enterprise sales, Erich brings a practical lens to emerging tech, growth strategy, and competitive differentiation.