Top tips is a weekly column where we highlight what’s trending in the tech world today and list ways to explore these trends. This week, we’ll look at three ways to stay relevant in the job market amidst an AI revolution.
The fear of losing your job to AI is spreading like a pandemic, and no amount of lockdowns is going to help. GenAI is growing in leaps and bounds, and office jobs are directly in the line of fire. The incorporation of AI with robotics is imminent, and soon, blue collar workers will also face similar issues.
A recent study reveals that 30% of employees are afraid of losing their jobs to AI or some form of automation. You may have heard of Devin, an AI software developer that can not only write code, but test and implement it as well. By the look of it, Devin may very well be poised to take the place of skilled developers.
Let’s say you’re in a high-productivity role in your company, taking home a fat paycheck and you soon find out that there is an LLM that can do your job quicker than you for the price of peanuts. Tough decisions have to be made, leaving both employees and employers in an uncomfortable spot.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are certain human qualities that can never be replaced by automation, at least not in the foreseeable future. How we hone those qualities, skills, and talent will decide the future of humans in the global workforce. Here are three hacks to help make you indispensable within your organization so you can become an impenetrable fortress of humanity against an onslaught of AI.
1. Become a master of AI
Business analysts and experts the world over have made it clear that the path ahead is being paved by AI. A marketer or a HR person may seemingly be far-flung from requiring technological expertise, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to take a course on AI, GenAI, or machine learning considering the current job market. If your company starts trimming the fat, you will always have relevant AI skills to fall back on.
Online ed-tech platforms like Udemy and Coursera offer a variety of courses on AI and ML which are valid certifications that, given the evolving nature of the industry, can be as valuable as a college degree. Sacrificing your daily TikTok time for one of these courses will certainly benefit your resume in the long run.
2. Hone and own your craft
This is a statement that has been beaten to death by self-help gurus and internet life coaches, but if there ever was a time to revisit it, it’s right now. We have reached a stage where corporates are reluctant to hire newbies and give them the time and space to become masters of their craft. Instead, it’s now more cost effective to roll out automation that carries out these tasks for a fraction of the price.
The same goes for employees that have seemingly found their footing within their companies. Although leadership is something that can’t be replaced with AI yet, top management should still consider that their jobs could be on the line if they don’t keep up with the trends or embrace healthy competition to be the best at what they do.
3. Explore your options
This might seem counter-intuitive to what you’ve been told elsewhere, but it’d be a safe move to look around the market and see what other jobs are available that match your skills. If you’re a graphic designer who is also good at hand-drawn art, and you’re beginning to sense you could lose your design job to GenAI, it may be time to start looking elsewhere.
Given the current recession and other geopolitical issues, I understand that exploring your options is easier said than done, but foresight is key. Staying updated on the market situation and acting preemptively can save you hassle and heartache in the long run.
Job security could become a luxury in the modern world
For the record, my intentions are not to fearmonger or pour gasoline on this job security dumpster fire. The bottom line is this—people will have jobs no matter the outcome of the AI revolution, but AI will really make them pull their weight in an increasingly competitive workforce.
On the bright side, AI is currently not self-sufficient, meaning a decent level of human contribution and input is required. So, to remain indispensable, we must adapt our thinking and our acting with the changing times, rise above mediocrity, and be fully prepared for what is to come.
