AI at Work: What’s Real, What’s Hype, and What’s Next

Key takeaways from Mission Ready’s Future of Tech Careers Series
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We’re living through a moment where AI is everywhere — and nowhere. Everyone’s talking about it. Everyone’s experimenting. But very few organisations are scaling AI successfully YET.

At our latest Future of Tech Careers session, I had the privilege of sitting down with Tracey Cotter-Martin (Datacom) and Fiona Colgan (Woolworths) to unpack what’s really happening on the ground — and what it all means for talent, leadership, and the future of work - to unpack the messy, fascinating, and very real state of AI in the workplace.

The verdict? AI is rewriting the rules of work — but not in the ways the headlines promise. There’s more experimentation than execution, more potential than proof, and more questions than answers.

Here are my top takeaways from the conversation:

1. AI Is Changing How We Work — But Culture Comes First

“Organisations that are really leaning into AI aren't just looking at it as a technology shift..... but more importantly, it is a fundamental shift in the way that we work.” — Tracey Cotter-Martin

The panel agreed: AI’s biggest disruption isn’t the tech itself — it’s the people factor.

• Organisations can’t treat AI adoption as just a tooling upgrade.
• Success relies on reskilling, mindset shifts, and reimagining how humans and “non-human colleagues” work together.
• Datacom has launched an AI Academy and Centre of Excellence to build confidence and capability across teams.

Tracey called it out perfectly: adopting AI means rethinking roles, workflows, and the very definition of contribution.

2. AI Is a Tool — But Smart Decisions Still Win

“A fool with a tool is still a fool.” — Fiona Colgan

Fiona highlighted that AI doesn’t replace human intelligence — it amplifies it:

• Woolworths has rolled out training across the organisation to build AI confidence at every level.
• Teams are encouraged to “start small” — from using AI to summarise reports and improve presentations to experimenting with AI-driven development.
• AI can boost productivity, but critical thinking and human judgement remain essential.

The message was clear: AI doesn’t create value on its own — it’s about how people use it wisely.

3. Talent Is the New Leverage Point

“The jobs aren’t disappearing....but how we work is changing fast.” — Tracey Cotter-Martin

The panel discussed how AI is reshaping talent needs:

• Tasks, not jobs, are being automated — creating demand for adaptability, problem-solving, and creativity.
• Soft skills — empathy, curiosity, and collaboration — are becoming the hard currency of the AI era.
• Organisations need to prioritise continuous learning over static qualifications.

Fiona summed it up perfectly:

“The thing that’s not OK is getting a job and expecting to do it the same way every day. Lifelong learning is the only way forward.”

4. Advice for New Tech Talent

We wrapped up by asking Tracey and Fiona for one piece of advice for those entering the tech sector:

• Fiona’s advice: “Find a mentor. Find someone who’s experimenting, learning, and doing cool work ... and learn alongside them.”
• Tracey’s advice: “Build your personal board of directors ... surround yourself with diverse perspectives that challenge and inspire you.”

The Big Takeaway

AI isn’t replacing us. But it is reshaping what it means to be valuable at work.

Success won’t come from knowing the most about AI. It will come from being curious, adaptable, and relentlessly human in a world of fast-changing tools.

“The future of work won’t be written by AI. It’ll be written by the people who know how to use it with purpose.”

About the Future of Tech Careers Series

This event is part of MISSION READY’s Future of Tech Careers Talk Series, where we bring together industry leaders, innovators, and educators to unpack what’s really happening in tech and how we prepare talent for what’s next.

Stay tuned for our September session — another conversation designed to help you navigate the pace of change with confidence.

Stay tuned

Follow MISSION READY for more insights, events, and tools to help you stay relevant, stay skilled, and stay ready in the age of AI.

PS: This summary was created with the help of AI — but always with a human in the loop. AI helped analyse, humans brought the context, nuance, and meaning. Because, as we discussed in the panel, AI doesn’t replace judgement; it enhances it.

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