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The rapid acceleration of AI in the tech industry has sparked a familiar question: Will AI take my job?
A recent Financial Times article titled, “Why hasn’t AI taken your job yet?,” offers a compelling answer: complexity. It’s in the ambiguity, nuance, and messy reality of human behavior that our value as UX researchers becomes clear.
AI tools are increasingly adept at automating repetitive tasks and surfacing patterns. But what they can’t do, at least not yet, is navigate the political, emotional, and strategic dimensions of product development.
As AI begins to automate more tactical workflows, I’ve noticed a shift. Researchers who operate as task executors, answering isolated questions or validating predetermined ideas, are more vulnerable. But those who:
- Navigate complexity and organizational ambiguity
- Translate findings into strategic business guidance
- Work fluidly across disciplines and teams
- Shape product direction rather than just support it
- Cut through noise to deliver clear, actionable insights
They are not resilient, they're becoming essential.
This idea was reinforced while listening to a recent Learner’s podcast episode featuring Judd Antin and Alec Levin. One powerful insight stood out: asking leaders to seek disconfirming evidence genuinely is incredibly hard. Why? Because leaders are under constant pressure to deliver results, appear confident, and validate existing assumptions to keep momentum.
The result is something Antin calls “safety blanket research” — studies that exist to confirm what people already believe. But, impact research requires more than validation. It calls for a commitment to falsification, to the uncomfortable process of challenging assumptions and embracing complexity.
The most meaningful insights happen when researchers:
- Balance intellectual humility with outcome-driven focus
- Actively seek out disconfirming evidence
- Build trust across teams to surface uncomfortable truths
- Measure success by the change they help create
Too often, organizations fall into two traps: research that confirms biases or research that is rigorous, but never gets applied. The sweet spot lies in the middle, where we use our tools, intuition, and relationships to uncover truths that matter — and push our teams forward.
Here lies the paradox: the more contextual, collaborative, and courageous your role is, the harder it is to automate. Our strength isn’t in speed, but in asking the hard questions and knowing how to make the answers count.
So as AI reshapes our workflows, the bar for impact rises. The question is not whether researchers understand falsification, but whether we’re ready to live it, especially when the truth is hard to hear.
What skills are you developing to stay?
How are you pushing your research to drive real, strategic change ?
About Giulia
I’m Giulia, a mixed-methods Senior Researcher.
I cut through noise by transforming qualitative and quantitative data into impactful product decisions.
With more than seven years of experience in the tech industry, I understand exactly what empowers product teams to make confident, informed decisions that lead to product success!
My specialties are:
- Assigning a Monetary Value to Research, making its impact tangible
- Igniting stakeholders’ passion for Research by speaking their language and demonstrating a deep understanding of their challenges
- Making Research Actionable and applicable to real-world scenarios
- Delving into Behavioral Research & Design to drive meaningful change
If you want to chat about UX Research and beyond, you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.
References
Burn-Murdoch, J. (2025, March 28). Why hasn’t AI taken your job yet?. The Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/471b53ba-2a71-4650-a019-e8d4065b78a0
Levin, A. (Host). (2025, March 3). Doing the Research with Judd Antin (Ep. 26) [Video podcast episode]. In The Learners Podcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFYCyO2g2ik