Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Work and the Skills You Need

The world of work

The world of work is rapidly changing. It’s no longer what it once was. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), work is simply any task you do for yourself or someone else!

Our generation is witnessing one of the technological advancements in history. The Fourth Industrial Revolution in this 21st century is a significant revolution that can penetrate every sector.

Some argue that rapid advances in the automation of work can significantly disrupt labor markets. In contrast, others believe some of these technologies are smarter than humans and can exterminate the human race.

Is that’s right?

HA-HA, let’s not forget these technologies are programmed by humans, not aliens from outer space!

As a computer scientist, occupational health and safety expert, social innovator, and sustainability practitioner, I have a different opinion.

Living in this digital age is fantastic, as one of the pathways to sustainable development is through more innovative technological systems!

New technologies create winners and losers in the labor market. Click To Tweet They tend to change relative occupation demands and replace old jobs with new ones. And, with the fast evolution of these machines, even the most highly skilled professionals can be replaced. For instance, technologies are better than experienced doctors at diagnosing diseases. But can medical doctors ever be replaced??

The good news;

Technological progress may be perceived as a threat in a one-sided forecast. Though technologies can replace the work done by humans and will likely transform almost all occupations in the future, automation gives rise to more innovative, safer ways of doing tasks and healthier living.

For instance, converting automobiles from natural combustion system, which burns petroleum, to electric vehicles charged with electricity produced by clean energy. This could be one of the effective ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Secondly, reducing our addiction to fossil fuels by using natural energy sources like solar and wind power. We can use solar and wind power to boil water and produce steam or electricity. And guess what?… It helps us respect our planetary boundaries.

Automation can augment productivity and economic development; therefore, understanding its distributional concerns is vital to enable policymakers to design appropriate strategies, including education and skills policies. It also helps individuals make good choices about what careers to pursue.

Today, one technology is causing particular anxiety about job displacement: artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence (AI), or machine learning, refers to algorithms that learn to complete tasks by identifying statistical patterns in data. This technology has recently achieved superhuman performance across a wide range of economically valuable tasks. Some of these tasks are associated with high-wage occupations, such as radiologists. In contrast, others are related to low-wage occupations, such as assembly line workers. At a time when rising inequality is a major social issue, it is unclear whether AI will increase poverty by displacing production workers. OR, maybe it can reduce inequality by substituting skilled professionals like radiologists.

The sectors that may be affected by the technological advancements are Information Technology, Finance, Marketing, Energy, Agriculture, and Transport. For example, AI and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms offer great potential in the finance industry. These algorithms are self-learning and can be extremely valuable to the customer and the financial organization if fed the correct data. Therefore, if they are well advanced, the workers in the industry might be affected.

Nevertheless, studies have shown that by the end of 2025, technological progress may create more jobs, contrary to what people think; however, workers need specific skills to stay relevant.

Therefore my advice,

In this era of new technologies, new ways of working, and new forms of work, the primary skills to focus on for the future are:

• Industry Specific Skills (hard skills)  that can enable humans to use future tools, such as; programming, database engineering, network security, interface design, Etc. Such skills might be in high demand in the future as they will be the driving force behind AI tools and Blockchain technology.
• Work-Related skills (soft skills) that stick with humans throughout their lives and make them fit into occupations. Examples are; critical thinking, creativity, social intelligence, self-management, attention management, adaptability, resilience, and continuous learning or lifelong learning. This is essential as numerous jobs and opportunities might move halfway across the world. Even in rural areas with less infrastructure and access to basic amenities.

Finally, humans should collaborate and work with these technologies in this digital age, where technology creates groundbreaking opportunities and transforms our interconnected world beyond recognition.