Artificial Intelligence (AI), as with any new technology, creates a changing job market. While news stories may produce fear among workers, be reminded that new technologies always create a need for adapted job skills. In the case of AI, career experts recommend: (1) focusing on skills that humans do best, and (2) adapting to what AI can help you do better.
The skills that humans do best involve activities related to emotional intelligence, ethics, and creativity. For ongoing career success, develop soft skills in the areas of communication, empathy, leadership, teamwork, and negotiation. In addition, enhance critical thinking abilities to question assumptions and analyze complex situations. Also important is improved creativity related to designing, writing, innovation, and generating ideas.
These high-touch human skills, which are harder to automate, are essential in jobs requiring trust, collaboration, and intricate decision-making. Career fields requiring in-person contact and discernment include healthcare, counseling, teaching, mentoring, therapy, customer experience, coaching, legal guidance, technical trades, crisis support, and creative and performance arts.
Since every worker will be affected by AI, basic technical competency is necessary. A well-prepared career person will need to be AI-literate. While you don’t have to be a programmer or software engineer, your AI skills should include:
- knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of AI.
- an ability to write clear, complete prompts to optimize responses.
- using AI tools for workflows and other career tasks.
- awareness of current AI trends and applications in your industry.
Using AI as your productivity partner means you will be able to leverage it to automate repetitive tasks, brainstorm ideas, develop preliminary drafts, and suggest analyses.
Ongoing learning and continually updating your skills is vital. Actions to achieve these competencies include taking online courses, earning AI certifications, joining online AI forums, starting an AI club, building a personal project, learning a programming language such as Python, and subscribing to AI and machine language YouTube channels.
While AI won’t replace all jobs, it will impact every worker in some way. To best prepare for the future, blend basic tech competency with strong human skills and seek opportunities for learning and growth. The most successful employees will be those who collaborate with AI and do what technology cannot do.
For additional information on AI proofing your career, go to:
Teaching Suggestions
- Have students identify online resources to enhance their AI skills.
- Have students create a plan to enhance their soft skills for ongoing career success.
Discussion Questions
- What soft skills might be most valuable for a person’s ongoing career success?
- Describe actions a person might take to better use AI for their daily activities and work tasks.
kapoormoneyminute 