AI adoption is rapidly growing across both major corporations and startups. McKinsey reports that nearly 80% of the world’s largest companies are already leveraging AI in at least one area of their business. And what about startup founders who built their models around high risk jobs? Sam Littlefield, President & CEO of Littlefield Agency, shared his thoughts and advice with TechRound in a recent article.
Littlefield emphasized that startups built around roles flagged as being “at risk” from AI shouldn’t view that as a death sentence, but rather as an driver to sharpen their value proposition and refocus their mission. He advised founders to zoom out—from specific job functions to the core problem their product solved—and to reposition around building for outcomes and workflows, not merely replacing human roles. He predicted a shift toward more “thinkers” and fewer “doers” in the future workforce.
He highlighted that real differentiation would come from going beyond basic automation. Generic tools might saturate the market quickly, but startups could stand out by embedding domain expertise, compliance-readiness, and meaningful workflow integration. His view was that products should enhance human performance—boosting efficiency, accuracy, and scale—rather than simply trying to replace people. He believed AI would transform jobs rather than eliminate them outright, and that startups aiding this transformation were well-positioned for success.
Littlefield also stressed the importance of monitoring AI developments and regulatory changes. He observed that some highly exposed roles might persist due to legal or societal constraints, creating new opportunities for thoughtful innovation in those areas. He recommended that founders maintain optionality in their roadmaps—test pilots, stay flexible, and be ready to pivot in response to evolving customer needs. According to Littlefield, success won’t come not from racing to automate, but from thoughtfully adapting as customers’ expectations shifted.
