What To Do If You’re Worried AI Will Take Your Job
Are you worried you’ll be replaced (professionally at least) by a robot in the near future? If so, you’re not alone.
Thanks to the advent of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, chatbots and their capabilities to not only mimic human behaviour and thought processes, but in some instances, surpass them, have been swiftly propelled into sharp focus.
At a recent event, OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman demonstrated how the latest iteration, GPT-4, could transform scribbles from his notepad into a webpage in seconds.
And according to the “godfather of AI”, Dr Geoffrey Hinton, this kind of wizardry isn’t necessarily a good thing. Having pioneered Google’s neural network for the past 10 years, Hinton is now turning his back on his former employer and warning the public about the “scary” chatbots he helped create becoming more intelligent than humans.
Couple the above with Elon Musk’s recent warning about Google’s approach and you can understand why so many people are starting to view AI as a growing concern.
Competitive advantage
But should we be worried? Not necessarily. In its first Skills Outlook Report, leading learning company Pearson has come to the understanding that soft skills are the most important element when looking for a new job or climbing the ladder in your current one.
The report, which was created in partnership with Google, identified that in the UK problem solving and teamwork are the two most valuable soft skills to have and that leadership and problem solving are the soft skills that will help workers in the future.
“This valuable new research shows that job seekers are prioritising human skills at a time when machine learning and artificial intelligence are having an increasing influence on work,” said Mike Howells, president of Pearson Workforce Skills of the data.
“Human skills are proving critical to personal and organisational success, and workers are motivated to sharpen and develop those skills to stay competitive and advance their careers.”
Up your skills
The best way to hone these skills is by continuous learning and development, something the participants of Pearson’s study echoed in their feedback. Nearly half (49%) of those surveyed shared that their employers offer learning and development as an employee benefit, and of those, 71% who can avail of upskilling do.
However, if your current employer doesn’t offer learning and development to staff, there are still ways you can bolster your professional skill.
You can become a feedback magnet (outside of official annual or quarterly reviews), prioritise communication with your colleagues, especially if your team works remotely for all or some of the week, and volunteer yourself for projects or tasks that require you to show leadership qualities.
Ready to beat the bots and put your skills to the test? The City PM Job Board has thousands of roles in companies that are actively hiring, like the three below.
Agile Coach, ITV Jobs, London
Shaping culture is at the heart of what ITV does and as an Agile Coach you will work with teams, business stakeholders and executive sponsors to provide tailored training to champion change at scale, introduce and mature good agile practices, and establish strong feedback loops at all levels. You will also be tasked with building and maintaining the agile community portal, collating training information, ITV’s framework guidance and other practical resources, while establishing communities of practice to support continuous improvement and innovation. View more details about this people-focused role here.
Asset Manager, Liberty Global, London
Do you want to be part of a new team to take UK connectivity to its next level? Liberty Global is hiring an Asset Manager to oversee the functions performed by the MCA regarding procurement and asset management. In this role you will be responsible for decisions making on company results, oversee the lifecycle management of fixed assets, manage portfolio assets and develop and implement annual business plans for asset management. You will also be required to lead negotiations for asset acquisitions and build relationships with clients and providers. See the full job description here.
Senior Finance Business Partner, Finance Team, Improbable, London
Improbable believes that the next generation of entertainment and society will come from massive virtual worlds. As Senior Finance Business Partner working on the finance team you will help growing business units operate with clarity, while supporting the continued evolution of customer engagement and business planning with the establishment of suitable frameworks. You will also drive accountability within the business units you are partnering with and create coherent forecasts based on analysis. Get more information about this opening here.
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