Opinion: The Value of Human Skills in a World of AI
Suzanne Galletly is Digital Skills Director at EXIN, overseeing the design and positioning of EXIN’s certification portfolio for digital skills. With over 18 years of experience, she is passionate about lifelong learning, workforce transformation and digital ethics. She is a community champion for the Scopism SIAM community, as well as a representative member of the Artificial Intelligence Skills Alliance (ARISA).
As AI continues its rapid expansion, the landscape of business and society is undergoing significant transformation. This raises a crucial question: in a world increasingly dominated by AI, do human skills still hold value? Are we, as humans, destined to become redundant, or do we possess unique capabilities that machines cannot replicate?
Photo by Katja Anokhina
In March 2021, the European Commission unveiled its vision for a human-centric, sustainable digital society by 2030. This vision outlines the advent of the Fifth Industrial Revolution, Industry 5.0, where humans and AI-powered robots collaborate to enhance workplace processes and drive prosperity. This new paradigm emphasises resilience, sustainability and human-centric approaches, necessitating a shift in how we view the intersection of technology and human skills.
Despite the ambitious vision, AI adoption among enterprises remains low at only 11%, far from the European Commission’s target of 75% by 2030. However, trends indicate a swift uptick in AI integration. The World Economic Forum’s recent report identified AI and Big Data as top skills required from 2023 to 2027, highlighting the escalating importance of these technologies.
Will machines outshine humans?
Acknowledging the strengths of machines is essential. AI systems excel at tasks such as processing and analysing vast amounts of data, making predictions, and generating content. Since the breakthrough in 1997, when Deep(er) Blue defeated the world chess champion, AI has evolved significantly. Machine learning enables computers to identify patterns, learn and adapt without explicit programming, and generative AI has revolutionised content creation, as evident from the explosive rise of ChatGPT in 2022.
Are some skills irreplaceable?
While AI’s capabilities are formidable, humans still possess irreplaceable skills. This article focuses on four critical human skills that remain vital in the AI era: leadership, creativity, judgment and empathy.
Effective leadership entails vision, determination and the charisma to inspire others. These qualities remain inherently human. While a robot panel at the United Nations’ AI For Good Global Summit in 2023 claimed that robots could be better leaders, authentic leadership still relies on human charisma and interpersonal skills.
Thinking about AI’s prowess in generating content, human creativity remains crucial. Fresh, original thinking is necessary to ensure AI systems have diverse, unbiased data sets. Moreover, translating AI capabilities into practical solutions requires human creativity to innovate and address societal problems effectively.
AI systems excel at making predictions based on data but human judgment involves understanding context, applying intuition and considering ethical implications. These nuances are critical, especially in uncertain or ambiguous situations where ethical perspectives are essential.
Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is inherently human. While AI can mimic empathy, true empathetic connections enhance social interactions and improve mental health. Despite advances in social robots, many people still prefer human interactions to avoid the ‘dehumanisation’ of society.
Skills for the future
To thrive alongside AI, new skills are essential. Understanding AI technologies and their applications is crucial across various roles. Technical roles require specialised AI knowledge, while business innovators need to grasp AI’s potential, and governance roles must focus on AI ethics and compliance.
According to the World Economic Forum, the top skills needed between 2023 and 2027 include analytical and creative thinking, which reflects the demand for human judgment and creativity in complex business scenarios. Empathy and leadership are also among the top required skills, emphasising the enduring value of human capabilities.
Opportunity or threat?
The integration of AI will undoubtedly transform the labour market, reminiscent of past technological advancements that reshaped industries. Historical examples, such as the Luddites’ opposition to textile mechanisation, illustrate the recurring theme of innovation-induced job displacement.
But AI also represents a huge opportunity, especially when applied in combination with other practices, technologies and approaches. Scopism, for example, sees opportunities in the strength of SIAM augmented by AI. As we navigate the uncertainties of AI and its progression, Scopism’s view is that the adoption of strategies for resilience and adaptability helps organisations position themselves to thrive amidst uncertainty, leveraging SIAM principles to drive innovation, mitigate risks, and respond effectively to evolving technologies. With SIAM as a guiding framework, businesses can not only weather the storm of uncertainty but also emerge more substantial and more resilient in the face of change.
The key to leveraging AI lies in the synergy of Humans + Machines. AI should complement, not replace, human capabilities, enhance industry, and address societal challenges. Three areas highlight this potential:
- Embodying: AI can enhance human precision in tasks, such as surgical robots assisting surgeons to perform delicate procedures with greater accuracy.
- Amplifying: AI can augment human creativity, as seen with Autodesk’s Dreamcatcher AI, which generates innovative design options based on specified criteria, sparking new ideas for designers.
- Interacting: AI systems, like the AI-enhanced chatbot QBOT used by the charity CALM, can facilitate interactions, directing the most urgent calls to human responders to provide empathetic support during crises.
Embracing the synergy of Humans + Machines allows us to harness AI’s opportunities while retaining our unique human value. Developing AI knowledge relevant to our roles and honing our inherent human skills will enable us to make a difference in an ever-evolving world.
For more about SIAM, visit www.scopism.com. For more about digital skills certification, visit www.exin.com. For more about the development of AI skills in Europe, visit www.aiskills.eu.
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