July 25, 2023

Prepping Your Organization for AI—How To Skill Up Your Workforce

I’ve been doing a lot of work recently on Aragon Research’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tech Arc for 2023 and working on a webinar about the impact of it on your workforce.

This research has left me with the question of what jobs will be the most effected by the advancement of AI? And is there something we can do as managers to help upskill our workforce?

What Jobs Could be Adversely Affected?

There will be jobs that humans do today that will be done by artificial intelligence systems in the future. This is what happens with the emergence of any new significant technology. For example, the industrial weaving machines, the agricultural combine and the PC. All these advancements replaced some jobs.

So, which jobs are vulnerable?

There are a number of vulnerable jobs according to the Bureau of Labor. In most cases it is not a whole scale replacement, but rather fewer human workers are needed.

These include interpreters and translators, fast food and counter workers, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, truck and trailer operators, laborers doing freight/stock/material moving, personal financial advisors, copy writers, and digital designers.

What is particularly unique is that AI systems will impact both highly skilled and less-skilled workers.

What New Jobs Could Emerge?

But….like any new technology, new work will emerge. Take for example the need for organizations to employ AI architects and digital ethicist to help manage these systems and ensure it is not running amok.

You will need people who can train artificial intelligence systems and can keep them on track with the goals and tasks. You will need content curators, content reviewers and researchers. You will also need to employ a number of people to deal with intellectual property, usage policy, governance and regulatory issues.

Your HR team will need to help you manage people as artificial intelligence systems increase in their usage, but also to help manage AI systems themselves.

You will also need laborers to work alongside AI digital labor to ensure it is performing. Much like the manufacturing jobs over the past 30 years have included humans working alongside robotics.

Again, the jobs that could emerge from artificial intelligence are both highly skilled and less skilled.

And yes, we will still need writers, painters, artists, dancers, musicians, poets, teachers, social workers, philosophers, coaches and spiritual guides. Because the content AI systems are using must come from some source. And, more importantly, for the foreseeable future there are just some things a human creative imagination can do better than an artificial intelligence system.

New Skills Your Workforce Should Adopt

We could spend our time grousing about the advent of AI. And yes, there are good social, economic, ethical, and humanistic reasons why we should rightly have concerns. But for most of us we need to realize that these systems are increasing, so what do we do?

Develop skills that AI systems can’t match, such as scientist, emergency response and police, artist, dancer, social worker, childcare etc.
Develop skills that can work with AI systems, such as a content curator, data engineer, digital labor manager, or IT system specialist.
Develop skills that can help manage and govern AI systems, such as AI policy specialist, AI HR manager, AI policy advisor and AI regulatory specialist.
Develop skills that will be urgently needed to manage the new threat from AI systems in the future, such as AI cyber security, digital ethics, data ocean specialist, or AI developer specialist.

Again, many of these jobs include both a highly skilled and less skilled workforce.

Bottom Line

Ok, I am an optimist. I don’t believe now is the time to panic about AI. It is a tool, and the world is quickly changing in response, in good ways and increased threats.

As a leader and visionary, your job is to help guide your peers, managers, employees, students and children into this new AI-enabled world. Educate people on what artificial intelligence really means. How AI can be used to empower people and solve new problems. And what new threats will emerge.

And last, you need to help your teams and individuals think creatively about how they can have a positive impact on your business, community and themselves using AI systems.

See Betsy LIVE for “Will AI Take Your Job?” on Wednesday, August 30th!

Will AI Take Your Job?

Does the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) into the workplace mean a job desert or a gold rush? The answer, in my view, is neither of these extremes. But it will absolutely change the workplace landscape and we must work on understanding and planning for these changes.

During this webinar, we will be exploring the potential impact artificial intelligence will have on different jobs and on the workforce, in general. In addition, we will be introducing Aragon Research’s new AI Technology Arc.

What jobs will be the most impacted by AI technologies?
How will AI change the workforce?
What technologies do leaders need to track over the next 3 years?

Prepping Your Organization for AI—How To Skill Up Your Workforce