Just when it seemed like all hope for a future in the communication and storytelling industries was lost, along comes this ray of sunshine by Amanda Hoover in Business Insider. Her piece, “The hottest job in tech: Writing words”, provides a counter-narrative to the gloom many of us have been hearing about AI and the future of work. Instead of announcing the death of communicators, Hoover’s reporting shows something surprising. In a world increasingly dominated by generative AI, tech companies are paying a premium for humans who can communicate clearly, convincingly, and creatively.

Before we go any further, full credit where it’s due. Hoover is a senior correspondent at Business Insider covering the tech industry and workforce trends. Her work on this topic reveals a hiring shift that runs counter to the common fear that AI is making human storytellers obsolete. This isn’t a retelling of her article, it’s a response and a deeper look at what her reporting means for communicators, for liberal arts practitioners, and for anyone who cares about the future of work.

Maybe some of you reading this are smiling right now. Looking at you, George Hulme (linked here with pride), some of you have been shouting from the rooftops that humans still matter. You were right to do so. Others might argue that what we’re seeing is just a temporary blip until AI gets “better” at writing and communicating. That could be true, but the early evidence suggests the opposite is happening right now.

Hoover’s key point is simple and ironic. In the middle of an AI boom that floods the internet with machine-generated content, the value of clear human communication is going up, not down. Tech firms are not just hiring more communicators, they are offering salaries that rival those of traditional engineering roles. Roles with titles such as director of communications, chief communications officer, and head of storytelling are commanding salaries well into the six figures and, in some cases, above. What companies are seeking are people who can cut through what some have called “slopaganda” — high-volume AI-generated words that look polished but lack true insight and resonance.

For digital leaders, that should not be a side note. It should be a strategic signal.

When content becomes infinite, clarity becomes a competitive advantage. When messaging becomes automated, trust becomes scarce. In boardrooms and executive teams, the ability to articulate strategy, explain AI initiatives, calm employee fears, and shape stakeholder perception is no longer a soft skill. It is a leadership competency.

Let that sink in for a moment. In an era when anyone can generate a text blurb with a few clicks, the skill that companies now covet most isn’t the ability to produce words, it is the ability to use words well. Companies want communicators who can think strategically, translate complex ideas into clear language, and make stories that resonate with real humans. They want context, nuance, creativity, empathy, perspective, and judgment. Those are not skills that any AI tool can replicate without sustained human input.

This trend is heartening because it highlights something I have been saying for months, if not longer. You won’t lose your job to AI. You will lose it to someone who uses AI better than you. The rise in demand for communicators is not happening because humans can ignore AI. It is happening because humans are using AI as a tool, and they are using it to elevate the work they already do well. In other words, AI doesn’t replace communicators. AI reveals who the best communicators are and rewards them.

For CEOs, CIOs, CDOs, and CMOs, the lesson is clear. AI strategy without communication strategy is incomplete. You can deploy the most advanced models, automate workflows, and modernize platforms, but if you cannot clearly explain what you are doing and why, you will create confusion instead of transformation. Employees resist what they do not understand. Customers distrust what feels opaque. Investors question what lacks narrative coherence.

That’s the nuance here. Great communicators are in demand not because AI is perfect, but because it is everywhere. The flood of AI-generated words creates a context where mediocre writing becomes endless noise. If you want your company’s message to stand out, you need someone who can give that message focus, clarity, and purpose. Machines can produce content. Machines cannot choose what matters the most. That’s still human work.

And leadership, at its core, is choosing what matters.

Hoover’s article suggests that roles once thought under threat have suddenly become more valuable. In part this happens because generative AI has made quantity easy, making quality scarce. Tech companies have been hiring communications experts to help shape narratives around strategy, technology, investor relations, regulatory issues, internal alignment, and public perception. They need humans who can make sense of complexity for the audiences that matter most.

Digital transformation has always been part technology and part storytelling. Leaders who understand that win. Those who treat communication as an afterthought struggle. In an AI-driven era, that gap will only widen.

Some skeptics will say this is only temporary. That once AI advances further, humans will again be sidelined. That may be true in a narrow sense. But if you look closely, what this trend reveals is something deeper. Communicators today are not being valued simply for churning out words. They are valued for synthesis, judgement, instinct, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking. Those are qualities that AI doesn’t possess and may never truly replicate.

And let us give a shout-out to all of you liberal arts majors out there like me. In a world where college majors are often discussed in terms of job security and hard vocational skills, here is a moment where broad critical thinking, strong writing, reasoning, and perspective have real value. Hoover’s reporting underlines that companies are looking for people who can think, not just produce text. Those are exactly the skills that a liberal arts education has traditionally emphasized. So go team! This is your time to shine.

For digital leaders, this also reframes hiring. The best AI teams may not just be engineers and data scientists. They may include communicators who can translate complexity into clarity, who can align cross-functional teams, and who can ensure that innovation does not outrun understanding. The companies that scale AI responsibly will be the ones that communicate it transparently.

Another compelling point is that the jobs being created now may not be entirely new. They may not be some strange AI weird role that we have never heard of before. Instead, they may be familiar jobs — communicators, storytellers, editors — but in the context of AI-enhanced tools and workflows. What’s different is how the work is done and who can do it best. This is a reminder that technological disruptions historically change how work gets done rather than eliminate the need for humans altogether.

This trend also mirrors what we see in other areas of tech. Jobs evolve. People adapt. Those who can integrate AI into their workflows become more effective. Those who resist or fail to adapt get left behind. It is not AI itself that determines your fate as a worker. It is your willingness to adopt new tools and apply them in a way that amplifies your strengths.

And for leaders, the broader lesson may be this: your organization will not fail because of AI. It will fail because it fails to adapt to AI. That adaptation is cultural as much as technical. Culture is shaped through communication. Strategy is reinforced through communication. Trust is built through communication.

So what should communicators take away from this moment? First, this is not about nostalgia for a pre-AI world. It’s not about resisting tools. It’s about mastering the tools and using them to make your work better. Use AI to scale your reach, refine your ideas, test angles, draft faster, or handle tedious work. But don’t outsource your thinking to the machine. Keep your voice. Keep your judgment. Keep your humanity.

Second, lean into what makes you human. Creativity, strategy, empathy, ethics, judgment, connection. These are not commodities. They are the things that companies are willing to pay for. That is a big part of what Hoover’s article gets right.

Finally, let this be motivation for everyone wondering what the future holds. The narrative that AI will wipe out communicators is not supported by what we are beginning to see in real hiring trends. Good communicators are not becoming obsolete. They are becoming more essential.

And that is why, despite the fear and uncertainty surrounding AI, all hope is not lost for communicators. If anything, it is being affirmed.