Early Warning System: Monitoring AI Risk to Your Role
Check Early Warning Signs Your Job Is At Risk
Part 1: Digital Intelligence Gathering
Industry Monitoring Setup
Create a dedicated folder in your browser for these bookmarks. Check weekly during lunch or before work hours.
Essential Sites to Monitor:
Visit Indeed.com and LinkedIn Jobs weekly. Search for your exact job title. Note any changes in required skills, particularly mentions of "AI familiarity" or "automation tools." Screenshot job descriptions quarterly for comparison.
Check levels.fyi for salary trends in your role. Declining compensation often precedes role elimination.
Monitor producthunt.com filtered by "AI" and your industry. New tools targeting your function appear here 6-12 months before widespread adoption.
Set Google Alerts for "[your job title] automation" and "[your company name] AI investment." Route these to a personal email, not work email.
Company Intelligence:
Access your company's investor relations page monthly if public. Search quarterly earnings transcripts for "efficiency," "automation," and "headcount optimization." These are 'cloak' words for getting rid of people.
Monitor your company's job postings on their careers page. Look for new roles like "AI Implementation Manager" or "Automation Lead" in your department. Look for roles that are advertised but never actually filled.
Check Glassdoor monthly for reviews mentioning layoffs, restructuring, or automation initiatives in departments similar to yours.
Part 2: Office Environment Signals
Physical Observations
Meeting Patterns: Track when your skip-level manager schedules "strategy sessions" without your direct manager. Document dates discreetly in your personal calendar.
Notice consultant presence. McKinsey, Bain, or Deloitte consultants examining workflows indicates firing of staff. They typically observe for 2-3 weeks before recommendations.
Technology Changes: Watch for pilot programs in other departments. IT typically tests automation tools in low-risk areas first. To cover themselves.
Monitor software buying. New licenses for UiPath, Automation Anywhere, or similar platforms suggest AI replacement planning.
Note when IT starts asking detailed questions about your daily tasks "for documentation purposes."
Communication Patterns
Email Analysis: Forward important strategy emails to your personal account (but check your employment agreement first).
Watch for increased use of terms like "transformation," "optimization," and "future-proofing" from leadership.
Notice when recurring meetings shift from "planning" to "transition" language.
Organizational Changes: Document when parallel roles start reporting to different managers. Consolidation often precedes automation.
Track when your department stops backfilling positions. Maintaining output with fewer people tests automation feasibility.
Part 3: Network Building Protocol
Internal Network Development
Strategic Relationships: Schedule monthly coffee with someone from a different department. Rotate through Finance, Sales, Operations, and Product teams.
Join or create a lunch group that meets weekly. Keep membership under eight people for meaningful connections. Share internal company information freely and discuss issues. This is why people in Europe 'go drinking' after work. They want advanced notice of problems.
Volunteer for cross-functional projects. Choose initiatives involving budgeting or strategic planning when possible.
Information Channels: Befriend one person in HR who isn't in recruitment. Compensation and benefits staff often know about restructuring early.
Always Maintain relationships with former colleagues who left for competitors. They provide industry-wide perspective.
Connect with your company's IT implementation team. They know the automation roadmap. Search for their resumes/cv's online and see if they've updated them recently.
External Network Cultivation
Professional Development: Attend one industry meetup monthly. Arrive early for better networking. Leave late for the same reason.
Join professional associations in your field. Volunteer for committees to build deeper connections.
Create a simple tracking spreadsheet: Name, Company, Role, Last Contact Date, Notes. Update after each interaction.
Maintenance Protocol: Send one "thinking of you" message weekly to someone in your network. Reference something specific from your last conversation.
Share relevant articles with contacts quarterly. Add a brief personal note explaining why you thought of them.
Update your LinkedIn weekly with industry observations. This maintains visibility without appearing job-seeking. Do this with as many others in your company as possible and cross like and support (the company will notice the positive presence, and they'll be less likely to fire each of you if it will have public consequences in the industry.)
Part 4: Operational Security
Digital Privacy
Search Behaviour: Use incognito mode for all job-related research during work hours.
Access career sites through your phone's cellular connection, not company WiFi.
Clear browser history daily if using company equipment for any personal research.
Communication Security: Create a separate email for professional networking. Use firstname.lastname.pro@ format.
Never discuss concerns about job security via company Slack, Teams, or email.
Schedule "doctor appointments" for interviews. Avoid patterns like always taking Friday afternoons.
Documentation Strategy
Personal Records: Email yourself performance reviews and commendations to personal email.
Document your achievements weekly in a private file. Include specific metrics and outcomes.
Maintain copies of important projects on a personal drive, respecting intellectual property limits.
Skills Portfolio: Screenshot complex work products (sanitized of confidential data) for your portfolio.
Record video explanations of your problem-solving process for complex projects.
Keep a running list of tools you've mastered and processes you've improved.
Part 5: Skill Evolution Framework
Immediate Actions
AI Integration: Sign up for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro. Learn to use AI as a productivity multiplier in your current role.
Take Google's AI Essentials course on Coursera. It's free and provides a certificate.
Experiment with one AI tool relevant to your function weekly. Document what works.
Adjacent Skills: Identify three skills that complement but don't duplicate your role. For accountants: data visualization, Python, or process design.
Track progress in a simple spreadsheet: Skill, Hours Invested, Proficiency Level, Application Opportunity.
Long-term Positioning
Role Evolution: Study job postings for roles one level above yours. Note required skills you lack.
Interview people thriving in adjacent fields. Ask about their daily tasks and required competencies.
Build expertise in areas AI currently struggles with: complex problem-solving, emotional intelligence, creative strategy.
Part 6: Financial Preparedness
Emergency Planning
Immediate Steps: Calculate exact monthly expenses. Include everything from rent to streaming services.
Build emergency fund targeting 6-9 months expenses. Automate weekly transfers.
Document all professional expenses for potential tax deductions if you transition to consulting on your work.
Insurance Audit: Understand your health insurance costs before you need them.
Research professional liability insurance if applicable to your field.
Know your country's unemployment benefit calculation and maximum duration.
Part 7: Keeping an Eye on Cadence
Weekly Tasks (30 minutes)
- Check job boards for your role
- Review company internal communications
- Send one networking message
- Practice with one new AI tool
Monthly Tasks (2 hours)
- Attend one professional event
- Update skills tracking document
- Review emergency fund progress
- Analyze department changes
Quarterly Tasks (4 hours)
- Comprehensive job market analysis
- Network database update
- Skills assessment against market demands
- Financial scenario planning
Final Notes
This system operates best when treated as routine maintenance, like brushing teeth, not panic response, such as visiting the dentist for an emergency. You can start now, if you like, even if your role seems secure. The earlier you start, the less visible your preparations.
Remember that AI automation typically follows predictable patterns:
- repetitive tasks first,
- then rule-based decisions,
- then pattern recognition.
Position yourself in areas requiring actual judgment, creativity, and complex human interaction. Problem is that requires real thinking, not just copy-pasting. Get fit or make way for those who are, sadly, is the rule.