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Short abstract

AI does not have to take our jobs to transform them. It can reduce human control while leaving responsibility intact. Using PPC specialists as a case, I show how, when everyone uses the same algorithms, advantage may come from who can interpret them better.

Long abstract

When we talk about AI, we usually ask whether machines will take our jobs. My research starts from a different possibility: what if AI does not remove humans from work, but removes their control while leaving them responsible for the outcome?

I study PPC specialists working with Google and Meta algorithms, drawing on 27 in-depth interviews, professional observation, and more than 1,000 online discussions. They already work in a world many other professions are only beginning to enter: algorithms make key decisions, while humans increasingly see the outcome but not the reasoning behind it.

Their work has not disappeared. It has changed. Specialists watch for anomalies, test hypotheses, compare experiences, and ask one another: “Is the algorithm doing this for you too?”

This creates two paradoxes. The less visible the system becomes, the more valuable human interpretation can become. And although thousands of organizations use the same algorithms, they do not achieve the same results. If everyone has access to the same technology, competitive advantage may come from who can read the system better: who notices the right signals, builds better explanations, and learns faster.

PPC specialists may therefore be a prototype of the future of work with AI: less human control, more machine-made decisions, and a growing value of interpretation, judgement, and responsibility.