Climbing the AI Pyramid: How to Stay Ahead in an AI-Driven World

When we started integrating AI into our Feedback First 2.0 work, we noticed a clear divide in how people perceive AI. Some see it as a tool to enhance communication and productivity, but others view it as a threat to human interaction and relationships.

This debate intensified when Luciano Pollastri and I presented our AI assumptions, the AI- Pyramid, at an AI Master Class at the European University of Madrid.

The AI Skills Gap: Why Adoption Outpaces Training

With AI adoption accelerating but formal training lagging behind, many professionals struggle to integrate AI effectively:

• 47% of employees say they don’t know how to use AI for productivity (Upwork Survey, 2024).

• 77% feel AI has added to their workload instead of reducing it (Upwork Survey, 2024; Financial Times, 2024).

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Still, we see a smart group of people using AI strategically to enhance their skills and reduce their workload, leaving colleagues behind.

This growing gap in AI skills underscores the need to move beyond basic adoption and climb the AI Pyramid. The question isn’t whether AI will be part of your world, it already is.

How will you take control of AI’s impact on your work?

Our 5 Assumptions About AI

Since the future of AI is uncertain, we operate based on five key assumptions—guiding principles that help us navigate its rapid evolution:

1. AI will take over everything it can. If a task can be automated, AI will eventually do it more efficiently and at a lower cost than humans, just like other technologies before us—it is the cost of capitalism.

2. AI will continue to evolve rapidly, making today’s models seem more primitive. AI will only improve from here, and the speed of its evolution means tomorrow’s models will be exponentially more powerful, accurate, and user-friendly.

3. The only real constraints are ethical and legal. AI’s expansion is not limited by technological feasibility but by regulation, governance, public acceptance, and human adaptability.

4. The choice isn’t whether AI will be part of your world; it’s whether we will use it to amplify our human strengths or fall behind. Human ingenuity, adaptability, deep thinking, and emotional intelligence remain harder to replace—but only if we actively combine the opportunities of AI with a brain that is ready to operate at a higher cognitive level.

5. We need to take responsibility and ownership of our own AI fluency development—learning independently and experimenting. Don't wait for your organization to come to you.

Before we could meaningfully explore AI's role in our work and communication, we needed a framework to understand how people engage with it.

The AI User Level Pyramid: From Automation to Ingenuity

To make AI adoption more accessible, we created the AI User Level Pyramid—a model outlining the stages of AI integration, from basic automation to high-level ingenuity. Like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, this framework maps how individuals evolve in AI usage.

AI ‘consumes’ repetitive tasks at the lower pyramid levels, where automation thrives. However, as we move higher, the balance shifts—AI’s influence shrinks, and human intelligence becomes indispensable. At the top, AI is no longer a replacement but an invisible collaborator that enhances human ingenuity.

The key to staying relevant in an AI-driven world is to climb the pyramid instead of standing still.

Level 0: Avoidance (AI-Free)

People at this level resist AI due to skepticism, fear, or a belief that their industry is immune to automation. However, as AI capabilities expand, avoiding it can lead to obsolescence.

Example: A journalist refuses to use AI-driven research tools and risks falling behind competitors who do.

⚠️ Risk: Avoiding AI may provide short-term comfort, but as industries adopt automation, those who resist risk obsolescence.

🔄 Shift: Move from Avoidance to Awareness

🎯 Action: Experiment with AI tools now—before they become a necessity.

Level 1: Productivity (AI as a Tool or Crutch)

Here, AI is used for efficiency—automating repetitive tasks, streamlining workflows—but without deeper engagement. Many professionals stop at this stage, treating AI like a glorified search engine.

Example: A marketer generates AI-assisted content drafts but doesn’t refine or challenge them.

⚠️ Risk: AI makes you faster, but not smarter—staying here means AI could replace you.

🔄 Shift: Move from Efficiency to Exploration

🎯 Action: Go beyond automation—start questioning and refining AI’s outputs.

Level 2: Exploration (AI as a Thinking Partner)

At this stage, AI is more than just a tool—it helps expand thinking, challenge biases, and generate new insights.

Example: A software developer uses AI not just for debugging but to explore alternative coding solutions.

⚠️ Risk: Still surface-level—AI enhances thinking, but you’re not mastering it.

🔄 Shift: Move from Collecting to Creating

🎯 Action: Use AI to generate, refine, and challenge ideas, not just collect information.

Level 3: Learning (AI as a Cognitive Extension)

AI becomes an extension of human intelligence, personalizing learning and deepening expertise. Users begin structuring knowledge rather than passively consuming information.

Example: A lawyer uses AI to analyze legal patterns, predict case outcomes, and refine strategies.

⚠️ Risk: If you stop here, AI may still outpace you.

🔄 Shift: Move from Learning to Mastery

🎯 Action: Focus on synthesizing knowledge and developing unique perspectives.

Level 4: Ingenuity (AI as amplifier)

At the highest level, AI and human intelligence merge seamlessly, creating a synergy where their combined potential far exceeds what either could achieve alone. AI enhances creativity, decision-making, and innovation. Users at this stage know when to trust AI, when to challenge it, and how to integrate it strategically.

Example: A product designer co-creates with AI, using generative models to prototype innovative designs while applying human creativity and judgment to finalize concepts.

⚠️ Risk: The only competition here is other highly skilled humans using AI effectively.

🔄 Shift: Move from Mastery to Reinvention

🎯 Action: Develop AI intuition—know when to use it, when to challenge it, and when to go beyond it.

Where Do You Stand? It’s Time to Move Up—and Beyond.

Waiting for help or adopting AI isn’t enough; we must actively develop the skills to think critically, adapt quickly, and integrate AI strategically. Although 48% of workers use AI daily, only a quarter have received formal training (Adecco, 2024 Global Workforce of the Future Report).

Generation is not a barrier to AI adoption. Employers assume older workers struggle with AI, but 89% of hiring managers report they perform as well or better than younger peers (Generation Survey, 2024). Self-taught power users thrive: 15% of older workers who adopt AI become power users, leveraging AI multiple times a week for better decision-making, higher-level work, and increased productivity.

Moving up the AI Pyramid is just the beginning—true success lies in building an adaptable, deeply focused mindset that enhances human strengths alongside AI.

The AI Pyramid provides a roadmap.

🚀 Now is the time to take action. AI is already here—how will you ensure it works for you? Will you passively adopt AI, or will you take control, develop your skills, and use it to amplify your potential?

💡 Stay tuned as we share more on how to move up the pyramid and build a Future-Ready Brain!