The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is prompting a significant reassessment of skillsets across the white-collar workforce, with some experts predicting widespread automation within the next 18 months. While the narrative often focuses on job *replacement*, a growing number of professionals are successfully pivoting *within* their organizations, leveraging existing skills and acquiring new ones to navigate the changing landscape.
Brit Morenus, a senior AI gamification program manager at Microsoft, offers a compelling case study. Morenus, who has been with Microsoft for 13 years – including five and a half as a contract worker – initially joined the company with a degree in English, communications, and marketing. Her path wasn’t a direct line into technology, but a strategic evolution built on adaptability and continuous learning.
Morenus began her tenure as an executive assistant, quickly transitioning to the marketing team. A pivotal moment came with an opportunity requiring expertise in gamification – the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. Recognizing the potential, Morenus proactively pursued certifications to develop this skillset. “I spent about a year getting certifications that taught me about gamification,” she explained. “I upskilled and learned how to create games, what game mechanics are, and what motivates someone when they’re learning.”
This investment proved crucial. It allowed her to secure a full-time position focused on training frontline and customer service support teams in effective sales techniques through gamified learning experiences. She spent six years honing her expertise in this area before the opportunity to apply those skills to the burgeoning field of AI arose.
The transition to an AI-focused role, surprisingly, proved faster than her initial pivot to gamification. “Since I held the gamification role for about six years, I became really good at it,” Morenus noted. “It only took about three months for me to upskill in AI.” She quickly immersed herself in the fundamentals of AI, earning a certification in Azure AI Fundamentals – Microsoft’s specific AI platform – and then extended that knowledge to her entire team and wider organization.
Morenus’s experience underscores a key theme: the importance of understanding *how* AI functions, not just utilizing it. “Everyone already uses it, but you need to understand how it works, because that’s how you can understand what to do with it,” she stated. This understanding, she emphasizes, is where her humanities background unexpectedly became invaluable.
“Up until this AI role, I always joked that I wasn’t using my English degree,” Morenus admitted. “But now I use it everywhere, and it truly does help. It helps with things like talking to executives and also with the role itself.” She points to the critical role of language in AI, specifically in the tagging processes used to categorize and interpret data. “A lot of it is more about understanding how to apply the English language than about AI… so, thanks, Mom and Dad, I am using the degree you paid for.”
The experience of Microsoft’s AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, is also relevant. Suleyman recently stated that “most, if not all, professional tasks” performed by white-collar workers will be fully automated by AI within 12 to 18 months. This prediction, coming from a leader overseeing a substantial $80 billion-plus AI infrastructure buildout, carries significant weight.
However, the implications aren’t necessarily mass unemployment, but rather a widening gap between those who adapt and those who don’t. By 2027, professionals who proactively build AI-native workflows are expected to significantly outperform their peers. By 2028, those who haven’t adapted may find themselves relegated to support roles, earning a fraction of their previous salaries, despite maintaining the same credentials.
Morenus’s advice to those contemplating a similar transition is straightforward: “Don’t let fear keep you from stepping outside your comfort zone. There’s so much ambiguity about changing roles or companies, but there’s no time like the present.” She stresses the need for continuous learning and a willingness to embrace change, acknowledging that the pace of innovation in AI will only accelerate.
The story of Brit Morenus isn’t simply about one individual’s career change; it’s a microcosm of a broader shift occurring across the professional landscape. It demonstrates that while AI may automate tasks, it also creates opportunities for those willing to upskill, adapt, and leverage their existing strengths – even those seemingly unrelated to technology, like a degree in English.
