"AI Took My Job" Is the Wrong Fear
Here’s What You Should Really Be Worried About
I’ve lost count of how many writers, designers, and freelancers I’ve talked to in the past year who’ve said some version of:
“Why would anyone pay me when they can just ask ChatGPT?”
And honestly? I get it.
GPT-4o Image Generation is killing it.
Anyone can now create an app on the fly.
But that’s not the real threat.
Let me explain.
It was never just about AI.
Because what’s really happening out there is this:
Clients are ghosting.
Leads are slower.
People are genuinely using AI to replace agency retainers, outsource less, and do things in-house.
Some agencies are shutting down.
Some freelancers are losing projects.
And it’s not just hype. It’s happening.
But here’s the part we’re not talking about enough:
AI isn’t killing service businesses.
The lack of productization and positioning is.
I’ve seen this movie before.
Back in 2015, pre-COVID and pre-AI, productized design services exploded.
Suddenly, “unlimited graphic design” offers were everywhere.
Thousands of them.
I remember thinking: should I even keep going?
What’s the point if everyone’s doing it?
But I didn’t quit.
Not because it was my passion.
Because I found demand in a very specific sub-sub-niche of the sub-niche of graphic design.
I knew what a small group of people wanted.
And they didn’t know where to find it, until I packaged it for them.
Until now, they have renewed their yearly contracts to 2030.
Here’s what that taught me:
AI isn’t the only competition.
Everything is a competition now.
Your client's inbox. That trending reel.
Cat videos. Candy Crush. Kids yelling in the background. TikToks you didn’t mean to watch for 45 minutes.
(I know Candy Crush is so yesterday, but I must mention it to tell you how long distractions have been around, not just the new stuff.)
You’re not just competing with other freelancers.
You're competing with attention.
That’s why positioning and productization aren’t “nice to haves.”
They’re survival tools.
The kitchen is open. Everyone has ingredients now.
It’s true, AI gives clients access to the same tools you use.
Need a blog post? Ask ChatGPT.
Need a logo? Run it through Midjourney.
Need copy? “Hey GPT, write me a landing page.”
But here's the truth:
People don't pay for ingredients. They pay for the meal.
They pay for:
Someone to filter the noise
Someone to turn clutter into clarity
Someone to package it, polish it, position it
They don’t want a blank canvas.
They want a curated experience.
AI might be the new intern.
But YOU are still the strategist.
AI can give suggestions.
You give judgment.
AI can follow prompts.
You understand business goals, tone, nuance, timing, positioning, branding, and strategy.
There is so much space at the top of the ladder.
But here’s the catch…
You can’t be selling generic work anymore.
If your offer is “I’ll write for you” or “I’ll design for you”, you’re a commodity now.
You will be undercut. You will be replaced.
Not by AI, but by your client using AI (badly) and deciding “it’s good enough.”
That’s the danger zone.
So what’s the fix?
You need to do two things:
Productize what you do
Position yourself as the translator, not the technician
You need to turn your service into a solution with an outcome.
Not “writing” or “design” or “admin” or “strategy.”
But “The 5-email launch kit that generates sales.”
Or “The visual brand kit for your next product launch.”
Or “The sales page layout designed to convert fast scrollers.”
Make it tight. Make it useful. Make it feel like a product.
Clients don’t want to guess what you do anymore.
They want a package, a process, a promise.
AI isn’t coming for your job.
But it is coming for how you package and price your work.
If you’re still billing by the hour, offering broad custom scopes, or sending “let me know what you need” emails… you’re leaving yourself exposed.
The solution isn’t to fight AI.
It’s to leverage it.
Use it to increase your output. Speed up your systems. Focus your time on what clients actually pay for:
Insight
Trust
Taste
Here’s what I know:
People will always pay for:
Done-for-you clarity
A trusted voice in a noisy world
Curated, tested, packaged results
They don’t want more content.
They want someone to tell them what works, what doesn’t, and what to do next.
They don’t want to learn how to prompt ChatGPT.
They want YOU to think for them.
So no, AI didn’t take your job.
But the market did evolve.
And the ones who thrive from here on out?
They’re not just selling services.
They’re selling systems.
They’re selling transformation.
They’re selling trust.
If you’re tired of being ghosted by clients and want to turn your service into a productized offer that sells itself, even in an AI-powered world, grab my Productized Kit and start building a business that runs without you.
Don't just survive the shift.
Lead it.