The question that keeps coming up
In a conversation with my wife about AI progress and humanoid robots, I landed on a blunt question: what job is left that AI could not do?
I have a daughter graduating soon as a nurse. Even that work may eventually see robot or AI versions. I am not claiming people will like it. I am saying the capability curve is moving that way, so the interesting question is what the model still cannot do.
Relationships are not just another task
Much of my own work is business development through networking: creating real relationships, talking with people, helping them, and building trust over time.
That is where I draw the line. AI will do many things well. Creating genuine human relationships is not one of them. There is already a fringe of people who treat AI as a buddy or romantic partner. I see that as an edge case, not a replacement for how serious B2B work gets done.
What buyers still ask humans for
The research keeps landing in the same place I do. In August 2025, Gartner predicted that by 2030, 75 percent of B2B buyers will prefer sales experiences that prioritize human interaction over AI. A later Gartner survey of 645 B2B buyers (fielded August–September 2025) found that 69 percent preferred to validate AI-generated insights with a sales rep—even while many also liked digital self-service for earlier research.
Buyers will use models to scan vendors. They still want a person when stakes rise, when context matters, and when trust has to be earned in conversation. That is networking work, not prompt work.
Why networking gets more important, not less
Business-to-business deals still run on trust and relationships. I do not see that changing. My counsel is to re-entrench in networking and human connection—the same work I help fractionals and consultants do.
That belief also shows up in how I run LinkedIn BizDev: a real person doing the outreach, not an AI agent. Read more on the LinkedIn networking service, or book a chat.