AI-PROOFING THE WORKFORCE NIRANJAN GIDWANI

 

CONSULTING DIRECTOR | BOARD MEMBER SSGMUAE | MEMBER UAE SUPERBRANDS COUNCIL | HBR ADVISORY COUNCIL | CHARTER MEMBER TIE DUBAI

Technology and innovation are accelerating at a speed never seen before in history. Mankind has now started experimenting with the science of teaching computers to solve problems. This is what we term as “machine learning”. The world has therefore started unlocking a new and exciting world of tools: artificial intelligence.

This article is not being used as a piece to predict the likelihood of AI leading to job losses or how much of the world will transition to different kinds of jobs. Both are going to happen. Yet there is both excitement as well as a growing concern among the global workforce about what the future could hold.

Let us go back in time to when the adoption of computers was rapidly accelerated across the world, in governments as well as in private sector. The ability of these machines to process large amounts of data at record speed & accuracy was a compelling proposition. At that time when computers were introduced, for those who had the will, and could learn how to operate them, success was assured as the nature of this technology warranted that humans would “remain in control”. 

There was a larger portion of the population that was trying to resist this change. Many held on to the belief that just a formal education, technical skills and conventional work processes would be adequate to keep them occupied. And then of course, there was an even larger part of the poorer world which could not afford this expensive transition. 

The result - a sizeable part of the global workforce that reached their prime age in the early part of this century became largely unemployable in the now-digitized world of work. Cut to the present. The world is yet again at the cusp of a massive transformation. This transformation may not be in just how we work. This particular transformation may redefine the meaning of work itself. 

This time there is a more dangerous truth which we must first acknowledge. Artificial intelligence could be just a few steps away from reaching a point at which it may be beyond human control. 

Let humanity re-focus on our strengths. By nature, humans have the superpowers to imagine, many times with inadequate data, or even without data. Humans also possess the ability to leverage emotions that can influence people, and to create options that are “out of the box”. In essence, humans can think, communicate and solve within uncertainty. AI still needs a large data set to start drawing inferences.

Therefore, humans will need to hone those skills that will give them an edge no matter which sector they are in. 

In the real world, there are hundreds of decisions which need to rely not just on observing past patterns, but also using the input of “intuition”. The subconscious part of the human brain can intuitively process cues from the fast-changing external environment and make interpretations. Strengthening this ability to listen to these nudges from within will empower us to make adaptive and bold decisions. This is where humans will be more valued.

There are several problems and situations at work that require us to break away from rules, make compromises and ‘do what it takes’. This ability requires pulling favors, breaking non-legal rules and taking calculated risks. This is where humans will be more valued. 

The hunger for growth is a powerful spark that forces the brain to explore possibilities, seize opportunities and connect dots that generate exponential business outcomes. Professionals will have to train themselves even more to operate with an entrepreneurial, or owner’s mindset. This is where humans will be more valued.

While machines are great at doing fast calculations or lots of manual entry, some things require a distinctly human touch. This is work that involves creativity, strategic communication, empathy, and so much more. Since machines cannot do this well, people with strong soft skills will only become more valuable as time passes. There will be a premium placed on human insight.

We will all need to study the landscape and understand how AI will affect us. We will need to even more inculcate the practice of expanding our professional toolkit, and the best way to do it would be via digital skills. This knowledge will allow us to adapt to an AI-enabled future and be ready to leverage these powerful tools to create value and stay valued. 

It would be futile to pick out digital skills randomly and hope for the best. Instead, we will need to identify high-leverage skills. These competencies would have to be uniquely relevant to our job and its future and also at a low risk of being replaced by AI in the immediate future. The rise of AI will undoubtedly transform the workforce and many individual careers. However, this change shouldn’t be a cause for concern but rather, a sign to start preparing. These new technologies can unlock new opportunities to learn, expand skills, and grow professionally. The key is to maintain a hopeful and proactive perspective.

Companies with a greater urgency in AI adoption are more likely to be high performers compared to their slower-moving counterparts. This underscores the need for leaders to view AI with a sense of urgency, leveraging the time saved by AI to concentrate on high-impact leadership tasks.

Finally, the AI economy is also going to be the re-birth of “The relationship economy “. It will be an era where we will need to bring more of our uniquely human skills to bear. And those are skills like communication, critical listening, collaboration, empathy. Coupled with agility. And surely, more morality and ethics will have to be brought in to build business models around technology. That would be the only way AI would serve a truly better purpose.