AI in Action: Tech Leaders on How AI is Disrupting Work and Skills
Artificial Intelligence didn’t just knock on the door of business—it kicked it down and started rearranging the furniture while we were still figuring out what happened.
From recruiting teams drowning in AI-spam applications to manufacturers quoting custom crates in seconds instead of hours, the disruption is no longer theoretical; it’s daily reality.
The most fascinating part? Almost nobody lost their job to AI—what changed was the job itself.
Writers became prompt engineers and brand-voice guardians.
Recruiters stopped screening and started strategizing.
Factory owners turned into part-time software builders.
We asked founders, CEOs, and technical leaders one raw question: “Show us, with real numbers and real stories, exactly how AI rewrote the rules in your world—and how you rewrote your team to win at the new game.”
Their unfiltered answers reveal a simple truth: the companies (and people) who treat AI as a collaborator rather than a competitor aren’t just surviving the wave—they’re surfing it.
Read on!
AI Turned Applications into Noise
AI has streamlined recruitment by automating screening and scheduling, but it has also created new challenges.
The surge in AI-generated applications and automated “spray-and-pray” submissions has overwhelmed recruiters with low-quality or irrelevant candidates.
This forces teams to spend more time filtering genuine talent.
Many applicants now use AI to write CVs and answer interview questions, producing generic, impersonal responses and sometimes falsified skills.
The result? A cluttered hiring pipeline and the risk of overlooking strong candidates in the noise.
AI-driven processes can also depersonalize the experience and perpetuate bias, further complicating fair hiring.
Mario Michaels
Founder & CEO, Synaxia Group
Search Died, AI Visibility Was Born
The day ChatGPT never mentioned our company in our own category was our wake-up call.
We had to learn how AI “thinks” and optimize content specifically for LLMs.
A brand-new in-house discipline was born: generative engine optimization, structured formatting, and cross-platform AI auditing.
No existing tool could measure our visibility inside AI answers—so we built KNWN.
Today it’s core to how marketing and content teams track real brand presence in the AI era.
Khazar Ayaz
Co-Founder, KNWN
Screening Resumés? AI Does It Now
At FetchTalent AI, we’ve directly tackled the disruption AI caused in pre-screening.
Our autonomous AI interviewer now handles initial candidate screenings—a task traditionally done by recruiters.
One staffing firm using our platform reduced screening time by 60% and dramatically improved candidate throughput.
This isn’t about replacing recruiters; it’s augmentation.
AI takes the repetitive assessments, freeing recruiters to focus on complex interactions, relationship building, and strategic decisions.
Prashanth Raj
Founder & CEO, FetchTalent AI
Designers Click Less, Prompt More
At PiktID, AI has completely disrupted traditional image editing.
Tasks like background removal or resizing that once required skilled designers and hours of work are now automated.
Even non-technical users achieve professional results in seconds.
One e-commerce client cut image-editing time by 70% using our AI tools.
The required skill set shifted overnight: prompt engineering and AI-tool management now matter more than manual Photoshop skills.
We navigated this by offering training and support so clients could adapt fast.
Davide Righini
CEO & Co-Founder, PiktID
Code Faster, Think Smarter
AI has transformed how we build software at Varyence.
Jobs that once took hours—repeatedly coding and testing new parameters—are now handled by AI-driven tools.
The result: 30% faster delivery and fewer errors.
At first it was a mixed bag—learning curves and workflow changes—but we quickly saw the upside.
Our team shifted from routine coding to strategic work, delivering more value to clients.
Jason Hishmeh
Co-Founder, Varyence
Writers Now Edit the Robot
When ChatGPT first launched, its effect on the content world felt minor. Many assumed AI-written text was too generic, and most believed Google would penalize it. Back then, it barely touched writing jobs.
But that changed quickly. Google not only avoided penalizing AI content, they embraced it. Their AI Overviews now summarize web content directly in search, and they’re testing “AI Mode” in the U.S., letting users get answers without clicking through to websites.
This is a big shift. AI now writes content, and also reads and summarizes it. So we’re writing content that AI will consume and rewrite for humans. In a way, AI is now writing for itself.
Now at our own company, Writers became AI editors, prompt crafters, and brand voice experts. Rather than trying to beat AI, their new job is to shape its output, keeping it human, reliable, and aligned with our values.
Mehrab Hojjati Pour
Founding Engineer, Seomode
AI Drafts Replies, Humans Add Soul
AI changed everything from customer service to marketing at PinProsPlus.
Replies that used to be written from scratch are now drafted by AI using past conversations—faster yet still personal after human review.
In marketing, AI outlines blog posts and analyzes reviews in minutes instead of hours.
The biggest shift was training: staff moved from creating everything manually to reviewing and refining AI suggestions.
No one was replaced—just retooled for speed and efficiency.
Bradley Fry
Owner, Pin Pros Plus
Outreach Drafts: From Hours to Seconds
At our link-building agency, AI rewrote outreach forever.
We used to write every pitch email by hand—hours of creative drain.
Now AI generates personalized first drafts based on the target site’s tone and content.
That freed the team for strategy and real relationship building.
Skill-wise, great writers weren’t enough anymore; we needed sharp prompt engineers and editors who could catch the “AI voice” instantly.
AI became an intern. Humans stayed the strategists.
Kristiyan Yankov
Co-Founder & Growth Marketer, Above Apex
Quotes Built by AI, Not Humans
AI obliterated admin work in two massive ways at our packaging company.
– We built custom tools (no coding experience needed) using Cursor and ChatGPT. Example: a Google Sheet that instantly quotes custom crates instead of taking an hour by hand.
– Tools like OpenAI’s Operator now handle data entry across systems in the background, saving hours weekly.
We navigated it by mandating AI training for every office employee—adoption was instant and enthusiasm high.
On behalf of the Techronicler community of readers, we thank these leaders and experts for taking the time to share valuable insights that stem from years of experience and in-depth expertise in their respective niches.
If you wish to showcase your experience and expertise, participate in industry-leading discussions, and add visibility and impact to your personal brand and business, get in touch with the Techronicler team to feature in our fast-growing publication.
