AI and job displacement: Should we be fanning the flames of fear?
‘In the worst-case scenario for the second wave of AI, 7.9m jobs could be displaced. . . job apocalypse’ The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) 2024
We like to call this the Fire and Anguish Narrative (FAN) surrounding AI, with hyped-up concerns about productivity and job displacement increasingly prevalent in the media and political discourse. Such a narrative FANs (sorry, couldn’t resist) the flames of anxiety for educators, parents and young people, who are completing the preparatory work for entrance into the workforce, which requires some horizon scanning.
While sensationalism sells news, the dread and fear of integration of AI is also its paradox.
We have been tracking, as providers of human skills training, research on the impact of emerging AI on the workforce. We understand, for example, that the traditional role of accountants has been evolving for nearly a decade. Research that we were aware of over six years ago indicated that the potential for automation in accounting would lead to a shift in job descriptions within firms like the Big Four. Accountants' roles are now broader, emphasising consulting and analytical skills over a lay person’s concept of a traditional beancounter’s job. This reflects the need to be able to interpret and utilise data rather than just processing it.
This research would seem to support the key messages shared during last week’s Dubai AI Festival by experts such as Dr Hakim Hacid, chief researcher at the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Science Research Centre at the UAE’s Technology Innovation Institute. He referred to ‘transformation of the expertise and what people are expected to do’ and thinks that we must learn to collaborate with AI, understand it, guide it and use it to generate value.
Indeed, to thrive in this AI-driven era, developing AI literacy is as essential as human skills. Just as we were taught about Dewey systems to find a library book, learnt how to frame Bodlian prompts to search the ‘interweb’ in the early 2000s, or successfully read a train timetable before apps, we must learn what to ask and how to pose the right questions to AI to execute tasks efficiently and accurately, while also understanding how
to prevent it from leading us down a deep, dark, swirling vortex of misinformation and misdirection.
Along with enhanced AI literacy, human skills development must be a proactive strategic focus for adults already in the workplace, as well as the next generation transitioning into work. With AI developing at pace, human beings must focus on developing our uniquely human capabilities so that we can bridge the skills gap and work with AI technology to achieve the best outcomes for ourselves, our employers, communities and economies. As Lloyd Lobo, the Co-founder of BoastAI, predicts, AI will handle the execution so human counterparts need to skill up to fulfil their part. Lloyed’s view is that there are three key human skills for young people to focus on: social, communication and creativity. His view is that the current education system is ill-equipped to enable students to thrive in a future shaped by advanced AI, as it is a system which ‘primes us for obedience - follow the path, do what you’re told’.
We would concur. International research completed by organisations including the ILO, UN and OECD, point to a range of essential skills we all need to thrive, which include analytical and critical thinking for logical reasoning; questioning; challenging assumptions and complex problem solving; adaptability and agility for resilience; change management and perseverance; and a commitment to life-long learning, including the development of a growth mindset and curiosity for the world around us. What we must urgently do is create space in our education systems for learners to pick up the pace so that the Fire and Anguish Narrative isn’t prophetic.
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