Many marketers and professionals across industries share an understandable fear:
AI could soon make their roles obsolete.
Headlines over the past year regularly warn us that sophisticated AI models could replace numerous jobs.
But is that the full story? Not necessarily.
There’s a compelling line of thought that AI and automation might do precisely the opposite in many scenarios: When certain processes become more efficient, demand skyrockets. And this leads to more headcount, not less.
So, instead of shrinking teams, AI can enable businesses to achieve more, which necessitates larger teams to handle increased workloads.
You don’t have to take our word for it either. Here’s a real-world scenario we experienced that showcases this idea in action ⬇️
(Note: We are discussing these ideas with a short- to mid-term timeframe in mind. AI advancements are moving so quickly that it’s impossible to predict how things will look even 5 years from now.)
One of our clients (whose name we won’t disclose) had a team of 2 full-time campaign operations specialists who were overwhelmed by requests.
Each campaign took several hours, even days, of manual effort to complete. They had to clone programs, update emails, sync campaigns with Salesforce, and so on.
So, we came in and implemented a sophisticated ticketing system with robust automation that streamlined the entire process. The result was that the time to launch campaigns dropped dramatically.
The improvement was so pronounced that we all expected the team to do the same work with even fewer people.
Instead, the opposite happened.
With barriers removed and launch timelines shortened, the ease and speed of launching campaigns led to a massive surge in overall campaign volume. It quickly became too much for only two people to handle.
To keep up with demand, team headcount tripled from 2 to 6.
Greater efficiency led to more work, and ultimately, more people on the team.
It’s true that technology enables us to “do more with less.” But it doesn’t stop there. In reality, making something easier or faster often means people will do a lot more of it.
There’s a classic economic principle for this called Jevons’ Paradox. Put simply, it observes that increasing efficiency doesn’t always decrease consumption; in many cases, it increases it. This paradox originates from William Stanley Jevons. In the 19th century, when the use of coal became more efficient, Jevons noticed that coal consumption went up instead of down.
Think of AI and automation like expanding a highway. Initially, you might add lanes to ease congestion, with the expectation that there will be less crowded roads. But as traffic flows more freely, more drivers decide to use that route. Now the added lanes are starting to fill up. Before you know it, 2 lanes become 6 lanes (just as headcount tripled from 2 to 6 in our previous example).
The efficiency provided initially reduced traffic, but over the longer term, it increased demand.
This is where AI gets particularly exciting. It is the ultimate “efficiency gain” tool right now. LLMs (Large Language Models) and reasoning models from big players like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are rapidly improving, unlocking all sorts of new use cases and opportunities for amplified efficiency.
Broadly speaking, it’s helping knowledge workers across industries create content faster, generate data insights, streamline operational tasks, and more. At RP, we are constantly trying to push the envelope to integrate AI in safe and exciting ways.
And with Jevons’ Paradox in mind, AI becomes an amplifier that creates demand for more headcount, not a straight replacement for existing workers.
This has some major implications for those in leadership positions as well. A company that implements AI and robust automation, intending to reduce headcount, must strategically prepare for the possibility that the opposite could happen; more headcount could be needed due to increased demand.
Ultimately, successful AI implementation involves anticipating shifts in team structure, workload management, and workforce allocation. Businesses must become adept at not just deploying technology but also managing the growth and scalability that these innovations naturally encourage.
(If you’re looking for a starting point and a roadmap of what that AI implementation could look like for your company, check out our free AI Assessment Tool.)
While the fear that AI might render certain roles obsolete is understandable, we want to highlight the importance of staying optimistic and adaptable.
Things are changing very quickly, but it’s not all doom and gloom! AI has the potential to reshape jobs, unlock new pathways and possibilities, and create unprecedented demand.
If you have any questions about how your company can boost marketing operations efficiency using AI and automation, you can book a free 30-minute chat with us here.
