A Chance Meeting And A Masterclass On Thriving In The Age of AI

Two weeks ago, I was in Dubai for the Fintech Forum. Perfios had put up a large booth to unveil several of our latest innovations. It was two intense, high-energy days of back-to-back meetings with clients, partners, and curious visitors.

That evening, as my team and I walked across to a hotel nearby where we were hosting a networking event, I unexpectedly crossed paths with an old friend—Huy Nguyen Trieu.

We hadn’t met in five years.

I first met Huy when I was at Cambridge, attending a leadership program. Back then, he was transitioning from a cushy banking role to embark on a career as an educator and the Founder of CFTE. Huy is one of the most thoughtful voices on how technology—especially AI—is reshaping the financial services industry. Quietly, Huy had been one of the people who nudged me—without knowing it—toward leaving my own comfortable role in a multinational bank to start building Perfios’ international business from scratch.

So when Huy invited me to a session he was hosting on the AI-fication of jobs, I didn’t think twice.

The next day, I sat in a packed room, curious to hear what he had to say. I walked out energized, reflective, and quietly shaken—in the best way.

The real threat isn’t AI. It’s Mindset.

Huy began with a simple question: Who wins and who loses in the age of AI?

He laid out what he calls the Performance Hexagon, a visual framework that maps different types of workforces in any organization and their future in an AI-powered world.

At the base, there are the :

• Underperformers who require constant supervision
• Task robots who execute repetitive, rule-based tasks well

Both, he said, are at high risk of displacement. Machines are already better at doing these jobs—cheaper, faster, and without fatigue.

But then comes the inflection point: the problem solvers—those who take ownership, figure things out and get things done. Huy said that having a problem-solving mindset is the foundation for getting supercharged with AI.

Above them are the system thinkers—people who can scale problem-solving across teams, tools, and processes.

And at the very top, the superstars—those rare individuals who don’t just solve problems but see possibilities where others see constraints. Intrapreneurs. Visionaries. Builders.

Huy’s core message was this: AI isn’t replacing people. It amplifies and supercharges the people who think like creators.

A mindset shift, not a skill list

I often get asked: “What should I learn to stay relevant in the age of AI?”

People expect an answer filled with certifications, tools, or technical skills.

But what Huy offered was far more fundamental:

“Don’t start with tools. Start with your mindset.”

If you’re waiting to be told what to do, no AI course will save you.

But if you operate with a problem-solving mindset, AI will make you exponentially more effective.

He also had a powerful message for parents:

“Train your kids to use their minds first. Then teach them to use AI.”

It’s tempting to let tools like ChatGPT do the heavy lifting. But if we don’t help our children build their own thinking, judgment, and creativity, we’re not preparing them for an AI-powered world—we’re outsourcing their edge.

And that landed hard.

The session left me thinking…

The most significant shift we need may not be technological at all.

It’s cultural. Psychological. Personal.

Huy’s session was one of the most thought-provoking I’ve attended in a long time. For anyone navigating the future of work, I strongly recommend checking out CFTE, and if you can, read his book: “AI-Fication of Jobs.” It doesn’t just explain what’s changing. It shows you how to think about your place in it.

And Huy—if you’re reading this, thank you. You reminded me that in a world rushing to adopt AI, the ones who thrive won’t be the fastest adopters.

They’ll be the clearest thinkers.