How Not to Get Replaced by AI

And the surprising idea from the father of quantum computing that explains it

David Deutsch, the father of quantum computing, once defined creativity as “the capacity to produce new explanations.” That idea might sound abstract — but it’s actually the clearest answer to a question more and more people are asking:

How do I make sure I’m not replaced by AI?

Because yes, AI is coming for white-collar jobs. But anyone who’s actually used these tools knows they can’t do everything.

So what separates the replaceable from the irreplaceable?

Let’s find out.

What AI will replace

AI replaces information processing.

If you're job is summarising data or conducting researching... I have bad news for you. These are the exact things AI is amazing at. Every large organisation is currently using AI to do this already and its only a matter of time before the entry level jobs in these areas disappear.

Might be time for a career change.

The one thing that makes you irreplaceable

There is something current AI's are fundamentally incapable of.

Creativity.

Some people (wrongly) believe that AI in its current form is creative. Large Language Models (what most people mean when referring to AI) are inherently incapable of being creative, although they can present quite a strong illusion of creativity.

AI can only generalise from its training data.

If you're wondering how replaceable you are, the only question you need to ask is "how creative is what I'm doing?". Your level of replaceability is directly proportional to your level of creativity.

Which begs the question:

What is creativity?

Deutsch puts it simply: “the capacity to produce new explanations.”

That might sound abstract, but it’s actually the most practical skill in the world.

Creativity isn’t about painting or poetry. It’s not about being “artistic.” It’s about solving problems in ways no one else has thought of. It’s making connections others don’t see. It’s inventing something better, not because the data told you to, but because you saw it.

AI can remix what already exists. It can summarise, optimise, and predict. But it can’t truly invent. It can’t ask “what if?” and chase that question through uncertainty.

That’s creativity.

How to become more creative

If creativity is the ability to produce new explanations, then becoming more creative isn’t about being more artistic, it’s about being more curious, more bold, and more willing to be wrong.

David Deutsch argues that all knowledge begins with guesses, not facts. So if you want to be more creative, start by making better guesses. Ask better questions. Look at what everyone else takes for granted and challenge it. Try ideas that might not work. Explain things in your own words, not just the ones you've been taught. Creativity isn't a spark, it’s a habit of thinking differently and persisting through uncertainty until something clicks.

AI doesn’t do that. It can’t. But you can.

And in the age of automation, that might be the most valuable skill left.