Vocabulary

Working With AI: What It Means for Your Job

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Exercise 1

Vocabulary

Repeat each word, definition, and example sentence after your tutor.
draft
verb drɑːft

to write a first version of a document

It took her roughly 4 hours to draft the article.

unsettling
adjective ʌnˈset

making someone feel nervous, uncomfortable, or uneasy

There was something unsettling about the way he avoided eye contact.

adapt
verb əˈdæpt

to change your behavior or plans to deal with a new situation

She struggled at first, but soon adapted to life abroad.

leap
noun liːp

a sudden or large increase or change

Japan saw a major leap in foreign arrivals in 2024.

emerge
verb ɪˈmɜːrdʒ

to appear or become visible or known

New details about the case began to emerge during the trial.

embrace
verb ɪmˈbreɪs

to accept or support a new idea, technology, belief, etc. with enthusiasm

Young people are usually quick to embrace new technology.

Exercise 2

Article

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your tutor. Working With AI: What It Means for Your Job

If you work at a desk, on a laptop, or anywhere with a Wi-Fi signal, AI is already part of your workday. It drafts emails before you open your inbox, answers customer questions while you’re in meetings, summarizes documents you don’t have time to read, and quietly speeds up work that used to take hours. According to Exploding Topics, 78% of global companies now use AI daily, and over 90% are either using it or exploring it.

Of course, that quiet efficiency can be unsettling. When software starts doing things that once required human effort, it’s natural to wonder what that means for your role, your value, and your future. Support teams now handle far more requests with fewer people. Engineers ship code faster, and content is produced at a scale that would have sounded unthinkable just a few years ago.

The truth is, humans have always adapted. Every major tech leap reshapes work—some roles fade, others evolve, and entirely new ones emerge. Not long ago, social media managers and podcast hosts barely existed, and now they’re everywhere. AI is doing the same thing, just faster, and across almost every industry.

Yet, the real risk here isn’t AI, but standing still. In a period of rapid change, staying comfortable is often the quickest way to fall behind.

So how do you stay ahead? Start with your company—choose one that embraces learning and experimentation. Then take growth into your own hands: try a new tool, watch a short tutorial, test a small idea. And above all, stay curious. Tools come and go, but curiosity keeps you relevant.

The future won’t belong to machines operating on their own. It will belong to people who know how to guide them, question them, and use them well. One small step taken today, one experiment run, one habit changed, one new skill learned, can quietly turn you from feeling replaceable into someone who’s indispensable and ready for whatever comes next.

Exercise 3

Discussion

Have a discussion based on the following questions.
  1. What are your thoughts on AI becoming part of everyday work?

  2. Is AI already being used widely in your industry?

  3. Which parts of your job do you think AI could help with the most?

  4. Is there any kind of work you would not trust AI to do?

  5. Do you think AI will replace most jobs or simply change how a lot of people work?

Exercise 4

Further Discussion

Have a discussion based on the following questions.
  1. What skills do you think are most useful in today's job market?

  2. Do you expect your job to change much over the next five years?

  3. Do you think "staying comfortable" is a much bigger risk now than before?

  4. What part of your work do you find most challenging?

  5. Which jobs do you imagine will be fully automated in the next few years?

Article written by Michelle Williams.