During the past decade, AI has made advancements in many areas. The recent advances in generative AI have, however, made the technology increasingly accessible by citizens. This had led people over the world to wonder what AI means for humanity’s future. Arguably, most importantly, it has led to many wonder how AI might change how work and employment is defined.

To help add clarity and alleviate public anxiety, it is important to begin with a positive narrative that does not take away from the concerns raised by commentators surrounding AI’s impact on work and employment. 

For instance, a negative narrative would impose that AI has the potential to result in the displacement of people’s sources of income and living. A positive narrative, on the other hand, would allude to collaboration with AI or the augmentation of human experiences including how we work in the future with this technology. 

‍Growth Opportunities For Workers: Six Points To Consider

According to the British Computer Society’s extensive research on this, the constants of unpredictability and change are shifting the focus on how the augmented intelligence economy is not only harnessing AI for productivity but also ensuring that the benefits of AI are distributed equitably across society. They suggest that this should be done considering the different levels of workers required, from entry to mid-levels and senior/expert levels. This scenario also sees extensive digital education action plans to ensure more workers have basic digital skills and other complementary competencies. 

We spoke to Tarja Stephens, co-founder of Mia - Mission Impact Academy, aimed at upskilling one million women in the field of generative artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030. Recognized as one of the leading voices on AI, Tarja is dedicated to workforce development and gender equality, shaping the future of work through her focus on skills-based learning in AI. Tarja expressed optimism in augmenting human capabilities with AI - she sees the tremendous potential in it, particularly through effective education and upskilling. She presented six points through which this can be made possible across global markets:

‍1. Personalized Learning Experiences: AI can transform education by providing personalized learning experiences tailored to the individual's pace, style, and educational needs. This customization enhances the learning process, making it more efficient and effective, which is essential for both initial education and ongoing professional development.

‍2. Access to Global Knowledge: AI systems can connect learners with educational resources and expertise from around the world. This global access breaks down geographical and socioeconomic barriers, offering unprecedented learning opportunities and facilitating a more diverse exchange of ideas and knowledge.

‍3. Real-Time Feedback and Assessment: With AI, educators and learners can benefit from real-time feedback and assessments. This immediate responsiveness allows learners to understand their progress and areas needing improvement, fostering a more dynamic and responsive educational environment.

‍4. Scalable Mentorship and Support: AI can extend the reach of mentorship by providing scalable, AI-driven coaching and support systems. These systems can offer guidance and help learners navigate through learning materials and career development paths, effectively democratizing access to mentorship.

‍5. Enhancing Job Training: In the workplace, AI can be used to simulate real-world scenarios and challenges, providing employees with a hands-on, immersive learning experience. This kind of targeted training helps in upskilling employees in specific tasks and roles, ensuring they are well-prepared and more productive.

‍6. Continuous Learning and Adaptation: AI facilitates a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. With the rapid pace of technological change, having AI tools that can help update and deliver new content to keep skills relevant is invaluable. This ensures that the workforce remains agile and can adapt to new technologies and changes in the market.

Integration of Ethics In AI-Powered Solutions To Support Workers 

With AI augmenting human capabilities, it is also important to remember that we are at a point where the ethical purpose of our AI system is important to consider in line with digital education and up-skilling. Roles for humans and machines will certainly emerge to ensure our AI systems have a human-centric ethical purpose. 

Eve Halimi and Anam Lakhani, co-founders of Alinea, a leading fintech investing app, discussed the role of ethics in AI and taking it center stage in the world of fintech, especially through human-centric investing tools such as Alinea. 

“The solutions we work on today are human centric and AI is used to increase productivity and enhance recommendations. At Alinea we believe AI and humans will work together to offer better products.” As broad as the discipline of ethics is, this is an important statement made by the two co-founders. It is imperative that businesses and policymakers take the following themes into consideration as they develop technologies disrupting the economy and policies informing how governance is carried out across societies: automation, alienation, morality, destruction, shallow consumption and excessive rationalization. Emre Kazim shares detailed insights on this here. 

‍Summary

Based on the above, engaging in these conversations should expand our understanding of how AI is advancing and its implications for the future of work and employment. It is important to explore innovative new business models, identifying emerging skill gaps, creating opportunities for emerging new leaders, fostering new radical collaborations, and finally shaping a safer, more ethical, and more fulfilling work-life for everyone.

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