How did we even get here?
How did we get to a place where AI has become normal? Do you not wonder?
I honestly believe if we just woke up from a five-year coma, it would make a lot of difference in how we perceive the tremendous changes that have beset the earth. Because why? Look around. Things are not the same anymore.
The first time I got to use an AI tool was mind-blowing enough, even though all I did was generate a cover letter. But now? AI has moved from helping us build software to actually saving lives.
The world of work also is fast adjusting to the ease and speed that AI adds to work processes, and this 2026 feels like the grace period before employees become obsolete if they don’t actively use AI tools in their niches. You know, like that grace period before they close registration on the school portal? (I’m sure Unilag graduates can relate very well 🤭).
In fact now, interviewers are now asking “what AI tools do you use?” during interviews, and adding AI skills to your CV is now an advantage.
One thing people knew a lot about Charlie Kirk is that most of his words sounded like prophecy. There was really a time he argued that AI could level the work playing field and close the gap between Africa and the rest of the world. I believe this because let’s be honest, the average human white or black does not have the intelligence of AI.
Right now, the only leverage humans have against AI is its lack of emotion…and that is probably the only reason AI has not replaced humans… yet. Not until there’s a remarkable success in biorobotics.
AI becomes very effective (almost unstoppable) when it gets the proper touch from a human…and vice versa. As an employee, you can optimise your potential when you are aware of and make use of the AI tools available in your niche.
Here are 5 mind-blowing things you can do with AI at work:
For Creatives:
AI has opened the door to endless possibilities in the creative industry and it doesn’t seem to run out of ideas. There’s now an AI tool for every stage of the creative process; conceptualization (ChatGPT, Claude, Grok), visual development (Midjourney, DALL-E, Runway, nano banana, veo 3, name it…), audio production (AIVA, Suno), and post-production refinement.
AIVA (Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist) can compose full symphonies that seasoned musicians struggle to recreate. Take a look at Solomon Ray for example. I personally enjoyed the soul genre for the first time after I listened to him….or to it 🌚. Oh you needed to see how shocked I was to find out he/it was an AI artist. And the numbers of these Ai artists seem to be increasing by the months.
AI-generated artwork also has already been auctioned at prices previously reserved for human-made pieces.
The creative ceiling has been shattered, and the only real limit is your taste level.
For Medical Practitioners:
AI in healthcare has shifted from diagnostics to real-time interventions. We now have AI models assisting with early cancer detection, robotic surgeries, rapid drug discovery, and personalised treatment plans.
AI is also being developed and tested to "smell" cancer by detecting the unique chemical signatures (volatile organic compounds, or VOCs) produced by cancer cells in bodily fluids and breath. This technology often uses an "electronic nose" (E-NOSE) or nanosensors combined with AI algorithms to identify these odor signatures with very high accuracy.
The weakness of AI in not being able to process emotions beyond words is its strength in emergency medicine because AI doesn’t panic…it processes and that alone has saved lives.
AI can also spot more bone fractures than humans can, AI can interpret brain scans and much more.
While self prescription is not advisable, patients are also using AI for self care, especially in countries (like Nigeria) where medical treatment is not easily accessible.
So you see, medical practitioners will either have to adopt and lear to use relevant AI tools in their life-saving endeavors or remain obsolete.
For Techies:
Just a look at the biggest tech boys and you would see they aren't sleeping on AI in tech. In fact, Ai has gone beyond what is used to ease their workflow to actually become a source of power and how well they play the game seems to determine their dominance in the industry.
Would you not wonder why Elon Musk’s ‘loudest’ project at the moment is not Space X or Tesla? He is everywhere on X, forcing Grok down throats. He has even currently positioned himself as OpenAI’s biggest competitor.
I would definitely have talked about how developers have moved from writing code line-by-line to orchestrating systems with AI assistants like GitHub Copilot, Cursor and Devin and the entire software modules that used to take weeks can be generated, tested, debugged and deployed in hours but we are not in 2023 anymore. Selah
For Educators:
Y’all remember the time when Ai was a taboo in the classrooms? Things are fantastically different now. Teachers now use AI in classrooms now and they are open about it.
AI has democratised teaching in a way that no policy reform ever managed. Personalised learning plans, AI tutors that don’t get tired, real-time language translation for foreign students, and adaptive assessments that adjust to each learner's pace.
With all these going on, I believe it is just a matter of time before students in Ogun state polytechnics (That one in Saapade, for example 😎) will have access to the same quality of education and educators as students in Cambridge.
For Executive & Administrative Functions:
The best reactive tool we knew was Siri… now, even Apple is fighting for its life when it comes to the mind-blowing administrative functions that AI can handle. Amazon recently laid off its 16,000 employees and is seeking to fully embrace AI, but we are still debating whether AI can or cannot replace humans… especially in their administrative functions.
AI can scan entire libraries in hours, summarise hundreds of pages into memos, generate compliance documentation, schedule meetings, draft emails, and process workflows end-to-end. Oh, and you need to find out about the digital twins that can now function as personalised executive assistants, which can mimic your voice, decision patterns, and communication style… at least digitally.
Conclusion
AI isn’t coming for your job in one dramatic swoop. It’s already changing what “good” looks like at work. Creatives who can direct AI instead of fearing it will ship more ideas. Medical teams that pair human judgment with machine speed will catch issues earlier. Developers who treat AI as a co-pilot will build faster, and educators who use it well will close learning gaps that used to feel permanent. Even admin roles are shifting from “do the task” to “run the system.”
The real dividing line in 2026 won’t be who’s “technical” and who isn’t. It’ll be who can ask better questions, verify outputs, protect privacy, and turn AI into results. Learn a few tools that fit your lane, practice weekly, and document what you’ve shipped with them. That’s how you stay employable, get promoted, and keep options open even as the rules of work keep changing. If you’re trying to figure out which AI skills employers are actually rewarding (and how to position them on your CV), CareerBuddy can help you build a clear roadmap and a profile that makes recruiters pay attention.
