I believe that in the future, AI will be as integral to our work as the internet is today. The impact AI is having right now reminds me of the late ’90s and early 2000s, when the web took off.
Back then, I was young, curious, and unafraid. That mindset helped me build a career as a software developer, UX consultant, and product strategist.
Now, in my late 40s, I feel that same sense of seismic shift, but this time it’s AI. I also feel the fear and resistance that many must have experienced when the web disrupted their industries. To counter this, I’m staying curious and leaning into an AI-First mindset.
After countless conversations with peers, clients, and the wider AI community, I’m seeing four clear AI Archetypes emerge. These reflect how people are engaging with AI today and where they are on the adoption curve.
1. The Bystander
You’re standing at the edge of the AI revolution, watching it unfold from a distance. You might have heard about AI in conversations, seen the tools pop up in your feed, or even tried a chatbot once, but it didn’t stick.
You’re not convinced AI is relevant for your work yet. Maybe you think it’s overhyped, unreliable, or just not ready for your tasks. You might feel a mix of curiosity, scepticism, and a healthy dose of caution.
Bystanders are thoughtful and observant, but they’re waiting for clearer use cases, higher quality, or simply a stronger reason to jump in. Right now, AI feels like someone else’s story.
2. The Conversationalist
You’re in the thick of the conversation. You use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to ask questions, draft emails, or brainstorm ideas. It’s a one-to-one interaction. The AI is your sparring partner, research assistant, or muse. It’s just you and the chat window.
AI is a tool you dip into, but it’s not embedded into your workflows.
Conversationalists are curious and exploratory but often haven’t yet automated or integrated AI into their broader systems.
3. The Automator
You’ve moved beyond just asking questions. You’re designing workflows where AI is a step in the process. Maybe you’re using AI to summarise documents, translate text, or clean data in Notion and to access internal knowledge bases.
You’re using AI to get things done, improving productivity by outsourcing tasks to the machine. AI is a powerful assistant, but you’re still the operator, manually triggering and overseeing its outputs.
Automators are the pragmatic bridge between exploration and systematisation.
4. The Orchestrator
This is where it gets exciting. Orchestrators design AI ecosystems. You coordinate multiple agents, tools, and processes to work together, creating AI-driven workflows that run in the background with minimal human intervention.
You’re setting up a network of agents that monitors your inbox, drafts responses, updates your CRM, analyses customer feedback, and creates summaries, all autonomously.
You’re no longer just asking AI for help. You’re the conductor of a symphony of agents, APIs, and tools working in harmony.
Why This Matters
Your AI Archetype shows where you are on the AI adoption journey:
- Bystanders are observing.
- Conversationalists are exploring co
- Automators are optimising
- Orchestrators are scaling
I believe we will all eventually need to become Orchestrators, because the quality of your AI agents will define the value of your work.
The real question is: Where are you today, and how will you move forward?
Let’s talk. Drop a comment with your AI Archetype and tell me how you’re using AI right now. Let’s learn from each other and build the future together.
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