How Much Intellectual Capital Do You Want to Invest in AI? #2

Written By Rebekah Wu

I’m still sitting with a question I can’t shake: how much intellectual property — and consequently, human leadership — are we willing giving away to AI?

The more we feed AI, the more it learns — and the better it gets at replacing us in the tasks we do every day to earn money.

On February 24, 2025, Pew Research published a survey that says 16% of U.S. workers now use AI to get their jobs done. With a U.S. labor force of approximately160 million people (source: Bureau of Labor Feb 2025), that’s an estimated 25.6 million workers using AI, including those in AI-specific roles.

But here’s what really caught my eye: we’ve gone from near-zero to 16% adoption in just seven (7) years (2018-2025).

Here’s a quick timeline of how fast it’s happened:

2018-2019 — Early Adopers: 1%-3% of workers using basic AI (chatbots, analytics, basic automation) — mostly in tech and research by early adopters.

2020-2021 — Pandemic Safe: AI use jumps to 4%-7%. Chatbots replace agents, AI helps in HR, recruiting, and decision-making.

2022-2023 — Rise of AI: 10%-12% of workers use AI – even in non-tech roles. Tools like Midjourney, ChatGPT, DALL-E go mainstream for content, coding, customer service, and data analysis.

2024 — AI Welcomed: AI copilots and assistants in HR, legal, healthcare, education. Adoption hits 14%-15%.

2025 (Today) — AI Goes Mainstream: 16% of U.S. workers now use AI actively on the job — and growing fast!

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR)? It’s just around 48.4%.

What really makes me pause is that number: seven (7). Seven is a powerful symbol:

  • It’s considered lucky in many cultures.

  • There are seven days that define our week (ISO 8601).

  • Biblically, seven represents. completion or perfection.

So now that we've completed seven years since the modern AI revolution began, is it time to stop and reflect?

  • What are we creating?

  • What are we giving away — consciously or unconsciously — to AI?

  • Are we trading human leadership and dignity for convenience and speed of machines?

  • Have we truly considered the cost of allowing AI to take over decision-making in our work and in our personal lives?

I don’t have the answers, but I know this: If we don’t ask these questions now, we may not get the chance later.

What do you think? Are we advancing in society, or giving it away?

#AI #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Ethics #ArtificialIntelligence

Rebekah Wu http://www.rhpartners.com
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