Podcast Summary
Episode Overview
Podcast: Using AI at Work: AI in the Workplace & Generative AI for Business Leaders
Host: Chris Daigle
Guest: Steff Vanhaverbeke (AI Trainer, Workshop Leader, Author)
Episode 68: Using AI at Work Without Being Replaced
Date: September 8, 2025
In this episode, Chris Daigle sits down with Steff Vanhaverbeke, an expert in AI training for businesses and author of the soon-to-be-released book Being Replaced: Five Human Skills that AI Cannot Automate. Together, they explore the anxieties and opportunities around AI in the workplace, the essential human skills that remain irreplaceable, and practical frameworks and advice for both individuals and organizations aiming to remain relevant and competitive in an AI-driven era.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Premise of “Being Replaced” & the Five Human Skills (03:24-06:04)
- The book was inspired by years of conversations with business professionals nervous about AI replacing their work.
- Steff positions her work not as anti-AI, but pro-human; leveraging what makes people unique in tandem with AI to create business value.
The Cognitive Agility Framework (04:14-06:04)
A set of five human skills that, according to Steff, AI cannot fully automate:
- Flexible Thinking
- Emotional Intelligence
- Collaborative Intelligence
- Intuition
- Innovation
Quote
"AI sets us free instead of replacing us. So that's the core message of the book."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [05:00]
2. Deep Dive: The Five Human Skills
1. Flexible Thinking (06:04-11:33)
- Critical Thinking: Humans must question, verify, and contextualize AI outputs.
- Creative Thinking: The uniquely human ability to imagine and originate, not just remix.
- Systems Thinking: Understanding relationships, patterns, and the “invisible” connections within organizations and environments—something AI struggles with.
Quote
"AI only sees the surface... There’s a whole lot of information that is invisible to AI and will probably always be."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [09:58]
2. Emotional Intelligence (11:33-17:15)
- AI outputs can simulate empathy and helpfulness, but cannot feel or genuinely understand human emotion and context.
- Steff shares a moving personal story about her father’s illness to illustrate real empathy.
Quote
"As I am telling the story, you know, for a lot of people, that will evoke emotions... And that is something that an AI can never do."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [15:06]
3. Collaborative Intelligence (17:18-18:53)
- Describes the uniquely human capability to rally, improvise, and team up in the face of the unexpected (e.g., the Tomorrowland festival main stage fire).
Quote
"That is innately human. We as a species, we were able to hunt the biggest animals... because we are able to communicate quickly, shift gears..."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [18:53]
4. Intuition (18:53-22:43)
- Gut feelings, conviction and leaps of faith—often key in business decisions and innovation—are outside the reach of AI’s logic-driven processes.
Quote
"That's our power. And that's something that any AI, in any version of the future, will never have.”
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [22:36]
5. Innovation (22:43-24:57)
- True innovation is more than creativity; it’s the capacity to manifest novel ideas, to iterate, prototype, and bring to life disruptive products or services.
Quote
"They lack the ability to truly innovate and bring into the world something that is totally different than what we ever had before. It’s not just the rehashing of known patterns.”
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [24:40]
3. Applying & Developing These Skills (25:59-29:32)
- The book offers actionable tools, exercises, and frameworks for developing these five skills personally and within teams.
- Steff reframes the AI revolution as a “human advantage” race; the most human businesses will have the real competitive edge.
- Access to AI is virtually universal and cheap, but authentic human skills become the differentiator.
Quote
"The economy of the future will not be for the business who is able to move the fastest... The companies that are most human will make the difference."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [28:38]
4. Real-World Examples & The Analogy of Belgian Beer (31:45-33:56)
- As AI-generated (“AI slop”) content saturates the market, people increasingly value and seek out authenticity—like distinctive craft beers over mass-produced lagers.
- This “craft” approach applies to products, services, and experiences; businesses that remain human and authentic will outperform those that do not.
Quote
"People will look for the products and services that are human, that have this human element ... that are authentic."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [33:56]
5. Can You Scale Authenticity with AI? (34:07-35:39)
- Steff advocates for using AI as a tool to empower and amplify human authenticity and creativity, not as a replacement.
Quote
"I'm not against AI. I'm for AI... People invent work. They always come up with something we can do, and we will leverage AI to do it, but we will do it in a way that's totally unexpected, and that's our power."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [35:16]
6. The “Superworker” Model: Levels of AI Adoption (38:30-44:21)
Model (from George Burson, expanded):
- Level 0: Tried AI but didn’t stick.
- Level 1: Uses AI for simple tasks (translation, basic writing, etc.).
- Level 2: Reflects on and optimizes personal AI workflows (e.g., custom GPTs).
- Level 3: Starts granting AI tools more agency within operations.
- Level 4: Seamless collaboration between humans and AI agents at the team/organizational level.
Most people and clients still operate at Level 0 or 1.
Quote
"Most people do not use AI to its fullest potential... Never have I encountered a person who is really proficient in model context protocol implementations."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [44:21]
7. Human Agency and Joy in Work (44:59-46:38)
- Many employees derive fulfillment from tasks AI can now do faster, but the point is not always efficiency—sometimes, it’s the process itself (e.g., translators, developers).
Quote
"I love my job because it gives me the ability to speak and write in other languages... now you're telling me that I can do this quicker with AI, but I don't want to do it quicker with AI."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [44:56]
8. Authorship & Process: How the Book Was Written (47:36-50:18)
- Steff used AI strategically—as an ideation partner—while deeply reflecting on real-world human stories and concerns.
- Her process mirrors her thesis: it’s the human in the loop that gives depth and value, not AI-generated filler.
Quote
"It’s been a work from years and from reflecting on what the things were that I noticed with people and business owners and office workers, you know, and entrepreneurs... And then I started to put the model together."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [48:21, 50:08]
Guidance for Business Leaders
- Steff’s framework is a practical roadmap for “future-proofing” yourself and your organization.
- Business owners are encouraged to intentionally embed these five human elements—flexible thinking, emotional intelligence, collaborative intelligence, intuition, innovation—into products, customer experiences, and team cultures.
- As AI democratizes operational efficiency, being distinctively human will remain the ultimate marketplace differentiator.
Quote
"If you pull that off as a business, and you're using AI, you are going to be one of those businesses that isn't a casualty of what's happening."
— Chris Daigle [51:18]
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
-
"AI sets us free instead of replacing us. That's the core message of the book."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [05:00] -
"The ability to have to feel what another person feels... it comes down to authenticity and deep understanding."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [15:50] -
"That is innately human. We can communicate quickly, shift gears from one strategy to another... that's what we have as a collective."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [18:53] -
"They lack the ability to truly innovate... and bring into the world something that is totally different than what we ever had before."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [24:40] -
"The economy of the future will not be for the business who is able to move the fastest… The companies that are most human will make the difference."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [28:38] -
"People will look for the products and services that are human, that have this human element in it, that are authentic."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [33:56] -
"The books that I'm finding on AI are from people that I know… They locked themselves in a hotel room every weekend for two months and just worked on the book. And yes, they had AI there, but they weren’t like, here’s a mega prompt, write my book, oh I'm publishing tomorrow. These were books that were that level of authenticity…"
— Chris Daigle [47:39]
Resources & Further Information
- Steff’s Book: Being Replaced: Five Human Skills that AI Cannot Automate
- Available soon via HouseOfCoaching.com and Amazon
- Contact & AI Workshops: HouseOfCoaching.com
- Podcast & Free AI Resources: UsingAIAtWork.com
Conclusion
This episode frames the future of work not as a contest between humans and AI, but as an invitation to double-down on distinctly human strengths. Steff’s “cognitive agility framework” provides both vision and structure for individuals and organizations seeking to thrive—not just survive—as AI becomes omnipresent in business.
Closing Thought
"It's not a question of if, and not even when. It's now. It's happening... It's a question of what can you do right now."
— Steff Vanhaverbeke [51:29]