As artificial intelligence becomes more adept at tasks once considered uniquely human, this edtech founder says these are the workforce skills that are becoming more important.
BY HEIDE ABELLI
The last few decades have been dominated by rapid technological advancements but most of us will readily acknowledge that few developments have been as transformative as AI, especially its subset, generative AI. Today’s AI capabilities have begun to outstrip even the most optimistic projections, raising fundamental questions about the future of work and workforce skills. As machines become adept at tasks once considered uniquely human, what does this mean for the modern workforce? Which skills will ascend in importance and define success in the imminent workplace landscape?
There is no question that virtually every job will eventually be affected by AI. In some cases AI will simply be complementary to the job, but the prevailing belief is that about half of all jobs will be significantly disrupted by AI. Many historically important “hard” skills and hiring credentials will rapidly become obsolete. The question becomes which workforce skills will become more important against the backdrop of AI. What skills should we hire and train for most in this rapidly evolving AI landscape?
There are five that rise to the surface and here’s why.
SOCIAL INTERACTION SKILLSIn a world of AI many jobs will continue to require advanced social skills. Whether it is about emotional self-regulation, listening to others in meetings or collaborating with team-mates under pressure, social skills reign supreme in the modern workplace. According to a 2015 working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, almost all job growth since 1980 has been seen in jobs that are social-skill intensive, while jobs that require minimal social interaction have been in decline. Studies have shown that the use of AI material reduces the performance gap between employees with different levels of aptitude and seniorit.The drop in that gap makes any gap in social skills more pronounced, emphasizing the importance of interpersonal communication, teamwork, and emotional intelligence in today’s workplace. Those who never learned how to play well with others in the kindergarten sandbox have some significant ground to make up, while those who excel in this arena will reap increasing benefits.
CREATIVITYThe broad generalization that AI will replace humans in the workplace is incorrect, but it’s very likely that humans who leverage AI will replace humans who fail to do so. A recent study found that knowledge workers who used Chat GPT 4.0 completed 12.2% more tasks, 25.1% faster and with 40% greater quality over those who did not use AI to perform their work. That’s astonishing data, especially the data on the increased quality level of work output. And human workers who leverage AI and who demonstrate a combination of strong creativity and critical thinking skills will fare the best. Why? There is a significant degree of creativity involved in designing AI prompts that result in the more fruitful responses. Designing AI prompts is not just a matter of simple instruction; it is an art that requires a significant degree of creativity. Prompt creation can involve engineering prompts to perform multi-step instructions, generate hypotheses, engage in socratic questioning, etc. The success of an AI-generated output is directly tied to the quality, specificity, and ingenuity of the prompt it receives. A creatively-crafted prompt acts a catalyst, steering the AI towards more insightful, relevant, and nuanced responses.
Conversely, a vague, poorly engineered prompt often leads to generic, off-target output. Crafting effective prompts requires an understanding of the AI’s capabilities and limitations, a clear vision of the desired outcome and a heavy dose of creativity. As AI becomes more integral in the workplace, the ability to design impactful prompts will become a crucial skill, marrying the realms of technology and creativity. A creative human mind lies at the center of brilliant prompt engineering.
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLSCritical thinking must be applied to evaluate AI responses. Not all responses will be valid, unbiased, factual, or error-free. It’s in the evaluation of prompts where human logical reasoning, reflective thinking, rational thought, and unbiased evaluation come into play. While AI can generate vast amounts of data, analyses, and potential solutions at unprecedented speed, the veracity and applicability of generative AI’s responses are not guaranteed. These technologies, while sophisticated, base their outputs on patterns identified from vast datasets, which may contain inherent biases and inaccuracies.
This is where the uniquely human skill to think critically becomes indispensable. Logical reasoning enables us to dissect AI outputs, identifying potential flaws or inconsistencies. Reflective thinking encourages employees to consider the broader implications and contexts of the information presented to them. Rational thought allows us to weigh the evidence, discerning between the relevant and the extraneous. Unbiased evaluation ensures that we remain vigilant to potential biases, both from the AI and from our own preconceptions. Employees cannot afford to be passive recipients of generative AI output. They must become active evaluators, synthesizers, and decision-makers. An employee’s ability to critically assess, challenge, and refine AI outputs will determine the success of the human-AI collaboration.
CURIOSITYCuriosity is an innate drive to explore, understand, and seek information about the world around us. An eagerness to discover leads an employee to ask questions, probe into things, challenge assumptions and delve deeper. Curiosity encourages individuals to venture outside their comfort zones and engage with unfamiliar concepts, ideas, and experiences. In the age of AI, where algorithms and machines can rapidly process and present vast amounts of data, curiosity becomes more important than ever. While AI can identify patterns, predict outcomes, and automate complex tasks, it lacks a depth of understanding that stems from genuine human curiosity. Employee value shifts from simply having knowledge to applying curiosity: the ability to question, interpret, and reimagine that knowledge. By constantly asking “why” or “how,” curious people arrive at the kinds of novel solutions and innovative ideas that companies need in the age of AI.
UNBIASED, ETHICAL DECISION-MAKINGIn the age of AI, where decisions are increasingly informed or even made by algorithms, unbiased, ethical decision-making becomes paramount. AI systems operate on enormous datasets and decisions are based on patterns drawn from this data. However, the datasets that AI relies upon can mirror and further amplify societal biases, leading AI to make discriminatory and unfair judgments. When left unchecked, AI biases perpetuate inequities and even lead to new forms of organizational discrimination. The consequences are potentially serious, from who the organization hires to who has access to a product or service. It is only the uniquely human skill of unbiased decision-making that can stand in harm’s way, serving as the last bulwark against an era of unchecked algorithmic injustice.
The ethical implications of AI’s decisions have non-trivial consequences. The ability for an employee to make ethical decisions ensures that the deployment of AI upholds societal values, respects human rights, and safeguards individual freedoms. It is the uniquely human skill of ethical decision-making that ensures that the AI deployed in the organization is never used in ways that are harmful, invasive, or unjust.
The rise of AI, particularly generative AI, will fundamentally alter the nature of skills deemed crucial in the workplace. The emphasis will shift towards skills that AI technology struggles to emulate, such as social skills, critical thinking, creativity, curiosity, and unbiased, ethical decision-making. The distinctly human ability to collaborate with others, lead with emotional intelligence, and adapt to rapidly evolving, uncertain environments will take center stage. And as generative AI systems produce vast amounts of content, skills related to curating, interpreting, and contextualizing AI-sourced information will become paramount. In essence, while AI will assume many previously prized “hard skills”, the distinctly human skills that allow for relationship-building, innovative thinking, and unbiased, ethical decision-making will become ever more valued in the workplace. And for good reason, because those uniquely human skills are the truly “hard” ones.
Source: fastcompany
Original Content:
https://shorturl.at/ftvB4
