Think Bigger: How AI Is Redefining Roles in Live Events (and Beyond)
The greatest misconception about AI is that it's a race between humans and machines, when it's actually setting the stage for innovation that neither could achieve alone.
What if the AI revolution isn't the cold, robotic takeover we've been conditioned to fear? What if it's actually our chance to focus on what humans do best—creating, connecting, and innovating—across the workforce?
Since ChatGPT popped up in late 2022, the AI conversation has been stuck between two extremes: a magical fix-all or a job-stealing nightmare. While these dramatic narratives dominate headlines, a far more valuable transformation is quietly taking place. AI is changing our relationship with work itself, shifting us from doers to directors, from executing processes to orchestrating experiences, from managing tasks to leading innovation.
How AI Is Redefining Roles in Live Events
The conversation around AI sometimes feels like it’s happening in another industry—tech, finance, healthcare. But live events? We’re already feeling the shift. AI is a transformative tool that’s reshaping how teams operate—from marketing and customer support to event planning and logistics. And this shift is happening fast; over half (54%) of executives in entertainment say their organizations are now using AI agents in core workflows—up from less than 30% just two years ago.
Success often traps us in execution mode. Think about it: the ticketing manager who creates that brilliant event layout, the marketer with the proven campaign template, or the production manager with the perfect workflow—they become indispensable, but creatively boxed in. There's little room to innovate when you're constantly executing your own greatest hits.
In live events, this matters more than ever. When ops leaders are stuck troubleshooting ticketing logistics, or marketing teams are buried in copywriting and segmentation, it’s harder to dream up the next fan experience or revenue stream. AI helps lift the weight so teams can spend more time innovating how people engage before, during, and after events.
From Routine Execution to Big-Picture Innovation
AI is like getting a super-efficient assistant who handles all the tasks you never wanted to do anyway. Those repetitive tasks, tedious implementations, and mind-numbing follow-ups? Hand them over. Shrink multi-hour projects into streamlined workflows that need way less babysitting. Your AI tools can handle the operational heavy lifting while you focus on what humans do best: creative thinking, strategic vision, and relationship building.
This evolution is happening across every department and role, unlocking new ways of working that didn’t exist before as professionals direct their energy toward big-picture innovation. Industry-wide, 71% of companies are already using generative AI for tasks like content creation, data analysis, automation, and customer engagement.
Why Being Human Is Your New Superpower
Those uniquely human things about you? They're about to become your most valuable professional assets.
You're no longer just implementing processes. You're directing an ensemble of AI tools with your uniquely human judgment, curiosity, and vision to create outcomes neither you nor the AI could achieve alone.
This shift fundamentally changes what makes you valuable at work—but it still makes you valuable. Being able to follow established processes matters less than being able to determine which processes should exist in the first place. Your value now comes from:
- Asking better questions: AI can find answers, but struggles to know which questions matter. The people who can identify the right problems to solve will be invaluable. Ask: What’s the 20% of work AI could do so my team can focus on the 80% that drives creative growth?
- Critical evaluation: Being able to assess AI outputs, spot potential biases, and determine when something doesn't quite work becomes essential. You're the quality assurance team for AI-generated work.
- Strategic judgment: Understanding the full picture—organizational context, customer needs, business goals—in ways AI simply can't is your unique advantage.
- Creative direction: AI can generate options all day long, but you provide the vision that guides which paths are worth pursuing.
Getting Started Isn't As Hard As You Think
The question isn’t whether AI will change how we work—it’s how fast teams will adapt.
The people already thriving with AI aren't necessarily tech prodigies or coding experts. They're simply professionals who are curious enough to ask, "How could this be easier or better?" and bold enough to try.
It's like learning to delegate to a new team member; your first attempts might feel awkward, but that learning curve is surprisingly short.
So instead of asking, "How is AI going to replace my job?", start asking, "What could I accomplish if all the routine tasks disappeared from my day?" By embracing this shift, you're investing in the aspects of your work that will remain distinctly and irreplaceably human—creativity, empathy, and the relationship intelligence that creates lasting value.
