Generic advice about AI and jobs only goes so far. What you actually want to know is: which parts of MY job, in MY field, are most exposed? That's a question you can answer yourself with the right framework. I've done this analysis for our own roles at TTGC, and the method generalizes to any field. Here's how to figure out what AI automates first in your specific work.

The core principle: tasks, not jobs

AI doesn't automate jobs — it automates tasks. Every job is a bundle of tasks, and within that bundle, some tasks are highly exposed and others are nearly immune. The McKinsey research on this has been consistent since 2023: the unit of automation is the task, not the occupation. So the first step is to break your job into its component tasks and assess each one separately.

The exposure test for any task

For each task in your job, ask these questions. The more "yes" answers, the more exposed the task:

Now the reverse — the more "yes" here, the more protected the task:

Applying it: a few examples

In design (my field): producing routine layout variations is highly exposed; senior creative direction and client relationship management are protected. In law: document review and basic research are exposed; courtroom advocacy and complex negotiation are protected. In medicine: image analysis and routine documentation are exposed; hands-on care and difficult diagnosis under uncertainty are protected. In finance: routine modeling and reporting are exposed; relationship-driven advisory and judgment calls are protected.

In every case, the pattern holds: repetitive information-processing is exposed, judgment-relationship-physical work is protected.

What to do with your analysis

Once you've mapped your job's tasks by exposure, the strategy is clear: shift your time and skill toward the protected tasks, and learn to use AI to handle the exposed ones. Don't fight the automation of your repetitive tasks — embrace it, and reinvest the freed time into the judgment, relationship, and accountability work that AI can't do. That's how you make yourself more valuable as your field automates, not less.

The uncomfortable part

For some people, this analysis reveals that most of their current job is in the exposed category. That's genuinely uncomfortable to confront. But it's far better to know now, while you have time to shift toward protected work or build new skills, than to discover it when the automation arrives. The analysis is a gift even when the answer is hard, because it gives you time to act.

What we did at TTGC

We ran exactly this analysis on our own roles. It told us which parts of our production work would be automated and which parts — creative judgment, client relationships, brand strategy — would remain valuable. We restructured roles to push people toward the protected work and let AI handle the exposed tasks. The people who made that shift thrived. The analysis gave us the map; acting on it was the hard part.

The honest take

AI automates tasks, not jobs, so the way to understand your real exposure is to break your job into tasks and assess each one. Repetitive, rule-based, information-processing tasks go first. Judgment, relationship, physical, and accountability tasks are protected. Map your own job honestly, shift toward the protected work, and use AI for the rest. The people who do this analysis early and act on it stay ahead of the automation. The people who avoid the question get surprised by it.

Sources