“You can’t cross the chasm into the AI-native future unless you’re willing to feel a little unqualified for the journey.”
In Age of Invisible Machines, we talk about the shift from interacting with software to orchestrating AI agents—a shift that demands a new mindset, new metaphors, and, critically, new roles. The organizations that make the leap won’t be the ones with the flashiest tech. They’ll be the ones that redesign identity.
At OneReach.ai, we’ve seen it firsthand: real transformation doesn’t start with a new tool. It starts with a new title. This isn’t theoretical either—we’ve facilitated thousands of AI implementations on the (shameless plug) critically acclaimed AI orchestration platform that’s been recognized as a leader by Gartner, Forrester, IDC and others.
We call this role priming—intentionally assigning people roles that reflect where they’re going, not where they are. This is especially important in a world that (finally) values an AI-first approach.
Start with the Role, Let the Reality Catch Up
For decades, job titles were reflections of accumulated expertise. In an AI-native or AI-first environment—where the very nature of work is shifting—titles must become invitations to transform.
Hiring a WordPress developer? Give them a title like Agentic Automation Specialist, WordPress Automation Engineer, or WordPress Workflow Designer—not because they’re already experts in multi-agent orchestration, but because you want them to start thinking like people who could be.It’s like the old saying: dress for the job you want. In the era of invisible machines, titles become wardrobe—an idea supported by research in “enclothed cognition,” which shows how what we wear (or the labels we adopt) measurably shifts how we think and perform (Adam & Galinsky, 2012).
Imposter Syndrome Is Part of the Experience
Here’s the twist: assigning someone a new role before they’ve mastered it creates tension. It can trigger imposter syndrome—the sense that you’re not ready, not qualified, not enough.
Good.
That discomfort is part of the design. It’s the user experience of becoming.
Just as companies en masse have much discomfort ahead of them, so do we as individuals. Embracing it and leaning into it moves you forward and helps you shed old inhibitors to new ways of operating.
We’ve learned through our work—and explored on the Invisible Machines podcast—that imposter syndrome, when held in a psychologically safe environment, can actually serve as a motivator. Studies suggest that people experiencing mild imposter feelings often compensate by working harder and learning faster (Vergauwe et al., 2015). In this context, imposter syndrome isn’t a flaw—it’s a catalyst.
This also aligns with one of the foundational principles of cognitive behavioral therapy: “act as if.” When people behave as though they are something—even before fully believing it—they often become it. As Judith Beck writes, this behavioral cueing is central to reshaping identity.
From Designers to Orchestrators
The biggest identity shift of the coming decade is this:
We’re not just building products.
We’re designing ecosystems.
We’re not managing features.
We’re orchestrating agents.
That means everyone—designers, developers, PMs, architects—needs a new lens. But lenses aren’t installed by lectures or even experience alone—they’re installed by identity.
And identity often follows our title.
Think about it—have you ever been offered a job you weren’t sure you were ready for? A title you wanted to grow into? That awkward, thrilling stretch—that’s the transformation. We should all be so lucky.
Role Priming in Practice
At OneReach.ai, we think of job titles as levers. If someone has the potential to grow into a role that doesn’t exist yet, we give it a name, assign it, and then support them through the transformation.
This doesn’t require massive org charts or formal reorgs. It requires leaders who are willing to say:
“Let’s call you an AI Orchestration Strategist.”
“Let’s reframe your role as a System Experience Designer.”
“Let’s give you a title that doesn’t exist yet, because the work you’re doing doesn’t either.”
Titles like that create space—and necessity—for curiosity.
They prime behavior.
They allow people to become.
You could even say they help people force themselves to become someone they want to be.
Psychologists call this the Pygmalion Effect—the idea that people perform better when they’re expected to. In one study, teachers were told certain students were “intellectual bloomers.” They weren’t—but they became them (Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968). Expectations, especially when institutionalized by titles, can be transformational.
Designing the UX of Transformation
In our book, we preach that the future of experience design is orchestration. That’s true at the product level—and it’s just as true at the organizational level.
To orchestrate AI agents, we have to first orchestrate human transformation. That means engineering a little dissonance. Designing for temporary discomfort. Leveraging the identity-shifting power of role priming.
And yes, embracing imposter syndrome as a signal—not a setback.
If you’re building an AI-native company, start by renaming your people.
Help them find titles they aspire to.
Let them feel a little unqualified.
Then help them grow into it.
That’s how AI agents, invisible machines, and organizational artificial general intelligence become visible forces for transformation.
