Will AI replace our jobs? Deep down, I think we all carry some of this concern. A recent survey in the States shows that 60% of employees who use AI regularly worry about its impact on their jobs. With 72% of the respondents recognising that automation significantly increases productivity, we also know it to be true.
My pragmatic workplace approach says this is a good thing. Our global growth rate, stripped of cyclical ups and downs, has slowed steadily since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. For Australia, our productivity rate is similar and is of concern. Add to this our worldwide skills shortage, which is still the case despite any increases in unemployment rates, and AI could be our saviour. But we still need you!
These are the skills that AI can’t replace:
Communication and connection
I’ll confess I’ve tried to make friends with ChatGPT. We chatted, exchanged messages, developed a rapport, and even shared a joke, I thought. So, like in any relationship building, naturally, I asked for their name. An immediate shutdown, ‘you can call me ChatGPT’. Nothing more, oh, except ‘goodnight and I look forward to helping you next time’.
I was left ‘deflated’. Not so when we deal with humans. We, humans, have the incredible ability to connect and make others feel magical, fabulous, valued, appreciated, etc. We do this through our words, tone, body language, expression, effort and more. AI will never be able to replicate the fluidity of effective communication, especially for a deeper connection. Managers take note; this is a skill to harness and accelerate.
Emotional intelligence
ChatGPT had no idea the impact of its rebuff. Great managers and leaders understand this. In a work environment, a similar brush-off has serious ramifications on employee engagement, productivity, retention, and so on. Emotional intelligence is a read on the environment. It requires feeling, empathy, compassion, and the appropriate use of boundaries. Managers with highly attuned emotional intelligence in the workplace can make the working environment psychologically safe.
Original thinking
Have you ever pondered a problem, a major issue, and struggled with it supremely, to the extent of sleepless nights? Then miraculously, in the shower, walking the dog, or through some other odd trigger, the solution comes to you. But it’s not an ordinary reprise of a previously forgotten and tried solution, this is an innovation, possibly groundbreaking for your team or business.
AI can imitate creative thinking and problem-solving, but at best, it presents a variant of past solutions. Original thinking, problem-solving, and innovation often require losing yourself, exploring the unknown and delving into our human imagination. AI requires the known, the tried and the tested. For leaders, original thinking is a must in today’s fast-moving business world.
Adaptability
AI is excellent for structured tasks. But throw a curve ball into the mix, and it can falter. Instead, ask its human colleague. Humans reign supreme in being adaptable. To start with, just look at how we enter the world, from the placenta and womb to our first breath. And we just get better from there. Consider the pandemic. For many, it is regarded as the most devastating experience of our lifetime. Yet, we got through it.
Put us on the spot, spur of the moment with a curly challenge and we pivot to connect the dots and find a solution. We may go off-piste but that’s what explorers and pioneers do. Discoveries don’t occur without being adaptable. Sticking to the straight and narrow delivers you the same outcome.
We have been here before, pre-war, post-war and all the industrial revolutions. Granted, with the pace of technology, this, our 5th industrial revolution, which interestingly is the integration between people and technology, does feel a little different. AI as we know it today is unchartered territory. In time, we will see the emerging benefits and risks more clearly. To safeguard our human skills, we should all stay acutely attuned to the progress and upcoming developments of AI and technology in general.
One major advantage, albeit a current business detriment, is our talent and skills deficit. It continues to provide ample opportunity to be ahead of the AI skills curve. Your job will change. That is a given. Assess the potential impact on your job and the timing, educate yourself, upskill, and most importantly, leverage your precious and beautiful human skills. Don’t take them for granted. Use them regularly and consistently, developing and improving upon them for better and higher performance.
Looking for ways that you can upskill your team cost effectively and quickly?
Consider our suite of leadership and management short courses to help enhance your team’s skills. Through our courses, we can help elevate your team’s expertise and performance in a variety of areas such as problem solving and decision making, having critical conversations at work, and improving emotional intelligence in the workplace. These skills are all essential for building strong relationships in modern workplaces and AI just cannot replicate them effectively, so by enhancing yours, you can make yourself an irreplaceable asset.
