Leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos talk about AI skills in employees, which they say are becoming increasingly important.
The main promenade in Davos and the agenda of the World Economic Forum in 2024 will be dominated by AI. AI companies are lining the streets looking for potential investments. Getty Images: Andy Barton/SOPA Images/LightRocket
Since the release of ChatGPT just over a year ago, it has become increasingly clear that the world is about to change with the growing influence of generative AI. This was also shown at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, where AI was one of the main topics.
Many companies are already using AI. Experts and executives alike are convinced that technology will completely change the way many companies operate in the next few years. And they are trying to ensure that workers have the right know-how for an AI-driven future.
Business Insider US spoke with industry leaders from companies like McKinsey, KPMG, IBM and Coursera about the skills they believe will be important in the era of generative AI.
Be willing to learn – and don’t be afraid to experiment with AI!
Katy George is a senior partner and chief people officer at McKinsey. She said her company is looking for employees who are not only capable when it comes to generative AI, but also innovative, flexible and able to develop quickly. “They have to be early adopters,” George said, “who innovate and make the most of it.”
When it comes to digital competence, an important factor is curiosity. “It’s about the willingness to try new things,” she said, “about adapting and experimenting with new things. It’s about willingness to learn – and learning flexibility.”
Knows how to optimize data for generative AI.
Paul Knopp, CEO of KPMG US, pointed out that a big part of using AI effectively is ensuring that the information underlying the technology is sufficiently well prepared.
“How do I prepare my data so that I can apply generative AI,” said Knopp, “so that I can more successfully sell products or services to my customers or make my internal business processes more efficient so that I have more capacity for other investments or a higher Profitability?” The data dilemma is “one that I think most companies are still trying to figure out or optimize,” he commented.
Such data knowledge has always been valuable, but it is becoming increasingly relevant as a basis for the use of AI. “The ability to view, evaluate, clean, anonymize data – all of this will become even more important than in the past,” said Knopp. “These data skills have new value in determining where you can be valuable in the market.”
Use AI to complement your work, not just automate it.
AI can help workers do their jobs more efficiently, yes. This also creates fears among employees that technology will take over their tasks. However, many experts believe that efficient use of AI in the workplace frees up workers to focus on creating real value rather than completing mundane tasks.
“A lot of the things that technology does really well are the things that people don’t like to do,” says Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera. “Find out how these tools can help you enjoy your work more and be more productive,” he continued. This can free up time to “explore into new areas where you haven’t worked before. Ideally, it can challenge you, support you and create completely new opportunities.”
Knows the limits of AI skills – and the importance of human knowledge.
While it is important to understand how AI works and how to use it, it is equally important that employees bring human elements and values and recognize the limitations of the technology. “AI users need to understand what the limitations and risks are and how to ensure they use the technology responsibly to achieve the right result,” says John Granger, Senior Vice President von IBM Consulting.
Employees need to understand what potential problems to look out for and know how to avoid bias and discrimination in AI results, Granger and Maggioncalda said.
And the companies? They should be aware of “the ethical considerations, the risks and the inaccuracies,” emphasizes Maggioncalda, and “be sensitive to the potential disadvantages.” It’s still important to bring a fundamental human element to the work that AI is used for, Granger added. The question is: “How can this technology help me strengthen the values that I consider important?”
This article first appeared on Business Insider US. Read the original here.