Opinion · AI & work · 3 min read

AI didn't shrink my job.
It removed the ceiling.

Essen Tsou15+ years in paid media · Updated October 2026

Every week my LinkedIn feed has another post about AI taking jobs. I understand the fear. Roles are changing, and some won't come back.

But that's only half the story. The other half is what AI makes possible, and in my work, that half is bigger.

Essen working on her laptop in a cafe with a coffee and a salad — Behind the workA laptop, a long black, and far fewer spreadsheets than there used to be.

My weekly data deep-divePulling, cleaning and analysing campaign data

Before AI

2–3 hrs

Now

< 1 hr

Up to 2 hours back, every week Last pivot table I built: can't remember

We used to plan around how many hours we had. Now the limit is how many good ideas we have.

The ceiling

The old limit was time. That limit is gone.

I recently read a LinkedIn post about "overcapacity" that stuck with me. For years we sized our ambitions to the hours available. One analysis a week. Two ad tests a month. A report that took half a day.

When the routine work shrinks, the ceiling lifts. The question changes from "do I have time?" to "is this worth doing?" Honestly, that's kind of exciting.

Hours in the week

Then
analysis, tests, reports capped by timeNow
capped by ideas and judgement

Illustration of the idea, not measured data.

Where the time goes now

01More testsIdeas I used to shelve now get tried.

02Sharper creativeMore angles drafted, better ones chosen.

03Deeper strategyThinking about why, not just pulling what.

04More time with clientsConversations, not spreadsheets.

It's not just me

Australian businesses are seeing it too.

80%of Australian businesses surveyed now use AI tools in some form

41%of those using AI say it saves a quarter or more of their labour time

Jobs and Skills AustraliaGenerative AI is likely to "augment the way that we work rather than replace jobs".

Business figures: Small Business Loans Australia survey of 200 business owners, February 2026. A small sample, so treat as directional.

The human part

What AI still can't do in my work.

Know your businessYour margins, your busy season, the client who always calls on Fridays.

Pick the number that mattersAI finds a hundred patterns. Judgement decides which one moves revenue.

Read the roomBrand tone, health advertising rules, and what a client will actually approve.

Own the outcomeEvery AI output gets checked by me. The accountability stays human.

It isn't all upside. Some tasks are disappearing, and everyone in marketing, me included, has new skills to learn. But I'd rather learn them than pretend the shift isn't happening.

No ceiling.
Kind of exciting, isn't it?

I'd love to hear how AI has changed your work. Find me on LinkedIn.

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