Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just a buzzword—it’s a defining feature of the modern workplace. Understanding the role and potential of AI can transform how you think, work, and grow. Below I provide insight from the May 2025 Food Safety Summit and my June 2025 MSU Business College AI Workshop presentation..
It’s easy to assume AI is just another digital trend, but its impact is as fundamental as the internet or electricity. AI isn’t about replacing people – it’s about augmenting what we do, how we think, and where we focus our efforts. My June 2025 presentation in the MSU Business College AI Workshop Series and the May 2025 Food Safety Summit offered a clear view of how to apply AI in everyday activities – and what tomorrow’s AI-powered roles will look like.
What is AI? Understanding the Foundation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is defined as systems designed to perform functions typically associated with human reasoning, learning, and decision-making. Generative AI (GenAI or GAI), such as ChatGPT, can create content but doesn’t “understand” or “judge” the conclusions. These tools are fast, powerful, and consistent—but they are not human.
AI in Food Safety: A Real-World Application
At the May 2025 Food Safety Summit, companies such as Chick-fil-A and Taylor Farms discussed how AI is already enabling risk reduction and operational efficiency. Their strategies include:
- Predictive Modeling to anticipate safety issues before they occur
- Simulations to test responses to threats
- Real-Time Monitoring to flag issues automatically
- Decision Support to provide human managers with clearer choices
One key message was clear: AI tools don’t replace professionals – they support them. In fact, AI should enhance your food safety practices, not render them redundant.
“Get involved now. Don’t delay.” That was the conclusion from the panelists.
Insights into AI Use: A Summary of Workshop Lessons
Each insight from my June 5, 2025, MSU Business College of Business AI Workshop offers a key lesson in using AI intelligently:
Real Intelligence (RI) vs. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Real Intelligence (RI) is your ability to problem-solve using knowledge, judgment, and experience. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can generate answers, but only RI can determine if those answers make sense. The goal of professional education remains the same: to build your RI. But now, you’ll use AI as a tool to accelerate and validate your thinking.
Navigating the AI Evolution: AI-Literacy, AI-Dexterity, and AI-Native
Three stages of AI fluency are emerging:
- AI-Literacy: Understand what AI can and cannot do.
- AI-Dexterity: Use AI tools efficiently and verify the results.
- AI-Native: AI becomes seamlessly integrated into your daily habits and workflows. (Note: This term is adapted from “digital native,” which suggests someone who grew up with AI-integrated systems or naturally thinks with AI as part of their environment.)
Not everyone will become AI-native overnight, but most people can become AI-literate within a few days. That’s the starting point for future roles.
Assess the Process, Not Just the Product
Generative AI is transforming the way we evaluate student work. Rather than focusing solely on the final product — such as a term paper — greater emphasis should be placed on the process. For example, the assessment can expand from just the final term paper to judge the steps that were conducted to research the topic including throughout the drafting, revision, and citation process. For both educators and professionals, the key is not just evaluating the outcome, but understanding the steps and tools involved in its creation.
The “Telephone Game” and Absolute Knowledge
AI is just like “a fifth grader who has read every book but doesn’t have any practical judgement.” It’s smart—but it’s still guessing the next best word. You must provide direction, monitor the results, and verify accuracy. That’s where human value comes in.
Creating a Report as a Set of Smaller Tasks
AI supports the writing process by handling tasks such as formatting, summarizing, and citation generation, among others. Professionals will break down large projects into smaller tasks, assign AI to repetitive steps, and focus on higher-level thinking and editing.
Future Job Roles: The Three New Masters
- Prompt Engineering – Master of the Tool
Professionals must learn how to craft inputs (prompts) that generate useful, relevant, and trustworthy outputs. - Curator of Proprietary Data – Master of the Resources
Organizations will need experts to manage internal data libraries and connect them to AI tools safely and efficiently. - AI Validator – Master of the Field
Only an experienced professional can determine if AI-generated content is correct and applicable in a real-world context.
These roles are not “optional” add-ons, – they will become fundamental in nearly every sector.
Key Takeaways
• AI is transforming your work—adapt now, or risk being left behind.
• Start learning AI tools, prompt design, and validation skills today.
• Future roles require you to master the tool, the data, and the field.
[Note: Blogpost research, content development, and editing, supported by ChatGPT. Image created using OpenAI’s DALL·E with significant prompt engineering and human refinement.]