AI’s Rapid Rise Spurs New Job Fears And Hopes

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world at a breakneck pace, and its influence is being felt in industries ranging from automotive manufacturing to journalism. But as the technology barrels forward, it’s not just the machines evolving—so too are the questions, anxieties, and strategies of the people working alongside them. On February 4, 2026, two experts—Chris Willis, a longtime AI practitioner with roots in Detroit’s media scene, and Matthew Revelle, a computer science professor at Montana State University—shared their perspectives on the rapidly shifting landscape of AI and its impact on jobs and information.

For many, the mere mention of AI conjures up images of job-stealing robots or dystopian headlines. Yet, according to Willis, who spent nearly a decade immersed in artificial intelligence after co-founding the iconic Hour Detroit magazine, the reality is both more nuanced and more hopeful. “It has to be a proactive approach,” Willis told FOX 2, emphasizing that the key to thriving in an AI-driven world is adaptation. “Especially living in Detroit, not immune from technological change in the auto industry and others. This is no different, but it’s happening at a scale and speed, as you mentioned, that is unparalleled.”

Willis’s journey into the world of AI began 15 years ago, when he left the magazine world to join Domo, a company then exploring the frontiers of artificial intelligence. The mission? To help organizations harness their data and people so that AI could make informed decisions, rather than operating blindly. “Without the right information, AI is just kind of an expensive roll of the dice. And so I’m lucky in that I helped sort of design, not just the platform for doing this, but a lot of the applications that many very large organizations use to change their business using AI and data and people together,” he explained.

But even as AI systems grow more sophisticated, a persistent gap remains: judgment. Willis is adamant that human judgment—our ability to break big problems into smaller, manageable parts, and to delegate wisely—is a muscle that machines haven’t yet developed. “AI is really great at generating things, but it’s not great at judgment,” he said, pointing to what he calls an “AI hangover.” Companies that dove headfirst into automation, sometimes cutting staff in the process, are now reckoning with the limits of what AI can do on its own. “I think if you’re good at delegating to people and you’re good at breaking big problems into little problems, you’re going to be good at AI. It’s the same muscle.”

Willis believes the future belongs to those who can work in tandem with AI, rather than trying to outpace it. “It’s going to be human + AI, and I think it also requires a rethinking of what is human intelligence and how is it different than AI intelligence,” he said. The advice for workers and business owners alike? Get to know the technology, lean into creativity, and stay curious—traits that, for now at least, set humans apart from their silicon counterparts. “It’s going to require investigation and innovation. And I think that’s something that a lot of organizations might not be great at,” he noted. “Workers shouldn’t try to necessarily compete with AI, rather fill in the blanks.”

While the workplace wrestles with how best to integrate AI, the news industry faces its own, equally daunting challenges. In Bozeman, Montana, a controversy over an AI-generated Christmas Stroll poster sparked new questions about the authenticity of content in the digital age. Matthew Revelle, a computer science professor at Montana State University, has watched these developments closely. “AI is sort of a collection of approaches to automate tasks—many are tasks that humans might do,” Revelle explained in an interview with KBZK.

But as AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated, the line between real and fabricated news grows ever blurrier. “It’s getting to the point where it can take a significant amount of effort in order to identify,” Revelle said. The proliferation of sources and the sheer volume of information make it harder than ever for the average person to verify what’s true and what’s not. “People get their news from a variety of sources now. With more volume, it becomes harder to keep track of what’s going on—and even to verify whether something is real or not.”

Revelle offered some practical advice for navigating this new terrain. When confronted with a suspicious headline—like the outlandish “Wyoming winter tortoise – what we know so far” or the seemingly plausible “Abandoned Wyoming prairie structure hid massive Cold War military base”—he suggests readers check whether the story is being reported by multiple trusted outlets. In these cases, a quick search revealed that both articles were fabrications, some generated by AI for comedic effect. “So, something you’ve never heard of before—the plausibility of the text, reading that more closely,” Revelle noted. But he cautioned that not all AI-generated content is so easy to spot. “If there’s an explanation that they’re using—at least at first glance, it seems like it could be plausible? Yeah, it could take more time to dive into it.”

For those worried about being duped, Revelle’s advice is both reassuring and sobering: “It’s more of an art than a science. It takes some time to actually get a sense of whether or not it’s generated. At this point, it’s almost—take it with a grain of salt.” In other words, skepticism and a healthy dose of curiosity are more important than ever when consuming news in the age of AI.

Both Willis and Revelle agree on one thing: AI isn’t going anywhere. For workers, the best strategy is to learn how to collaborate with the technology, focusing on the uniquely human skills—judgment, creativity, and curiosity—that machines have yet to master. For readers and news consumers, vigilance and critical thinking are essential tools for separating fact from fiction.

As AI continues to weave itself into the fabric of daily life, the challenge for everyone—whether in the boardroom or the newsroom—is to find the right balance. The real magic, as Willis puts it, happens when humans and machines work together, each filling in the gaps left by the other. In a world where the only constant is change, that partnership might just be the key to staying ahead of the curve.