Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping IT careers. However, AI will create a demand for different IT staff staffers. Professor Roland Rust at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business predicts that future jobs will demand different skills. The professor and his team identified skills like “people management, working with others, emotional intelligence and negotiation skills” will be paramount in the age of AI. He points out, “Everybody will be – and already is – working with AI.”
In an article at InsiderPro the professor recommends working with AI, “The key is to recognize that collaborating with AI is essential … it’s best not to compete with it.” He suggests that human workers focus on differentiating themselves from AI. “… human workers should focus on what they are naturally good at, which is people skills.” Rust says that “… workers should develop the skills necessary to interface with AI, and willingly delegate those aspects of the job for which AI is better-suited.”
In the article, Megan Beck, practice manager at global management company Bain & Co., echoes Professor Rust. She predicts that tech professionals will see a shift in how they achieve success. She explained, “… AI is automating cognitive tasks such as data processing, which means that these cognitive tasks are becoming less valued and higher-level tasks, such as creativity and emotional understanding, are becoming more valued.”
What is the feeling economy?
According to Bing, we are in the Thinking Economy. The Feeling Economy is coming. It is being driven by the advancement of AI. While AI is rapidly assuming a larger share of thinking tasks, it is more difficult to automate emotional intelligence. This is where the human worker’s competitive advantage over machines currently lies, as AI is not expected to outperform human beings in subtle skills like empathy, emotion management, and inspiration for many years. The Feeling Economy is expected to flourish in the future.
AI and the rise of the feeling economy
As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, IT professionals need to hone their soft skills that give them an edge over computers. Professor Rust’s research describes the increasing needs for people skills as the “feeling economy.” Researchers analyzed Department of Labor data. They observed a rise in tasks involving emotional intelligence, as opposed to cognitive or physical tasks. They also found that a correlation existed between wage growth and tasks involving emotional intelligence compared to cognitive tasks. Professor Rust observer,
At first, the job skills that require common sense and intuition will be safe … Before too long, though, even those skills will be attained by AI, and at that point, only the emotional and empathetic parts of feeling skills will be the differentiator for people. In general, the more people the job touches, the safer the job is from AI. Management and interpersonal communications are the kinds of job characteristics to look for.
Consulting firm Gartner calls the data social-creative. Emily Rose McRae, director in the Gartner HR practice told InsiderPro, ” … jobs are shifting towards requiring more social-creative skills. This is a trend we expect to see continuing into the future, as AI learns to successfully perform more skills.”
How to future-proof your career
Ms. McRae suggested some introspection, to prepare for a future career that includes a heavy dose of AI:
Identify your tasks that are repetitive or rule-based.- If a machine were doing those tasks, what else could you be doing?
- Can you focus more on other, less predictable tasks in your role?
- Would you spend more time working with the output of that machine, finishing the process?
- Would you spend more time in strategy meetings, or collaborating with your team?
She also recommended actively practicing creativity in your job, studies or even a hobby. “Studies show that the biggest factor in being creative is not innate ability, but needing to be creative on a regular basis.”
AI can learn emotional intelligence.
AI will eventually target sophisticated emotional intelligence as well. Mark Beccue, principal analyst at Tractica told InsiderPro, “AI, particularly deep learning, can tap digitally captured data to learn empathy.” He warns, “Emotional intelligence can be developed from previous experiences.”
In terms of existing work, Beccue sees little opportunity in jobs that focus on collecting and processing data. He suggests, “If your job is about the routine processing of information, look for another job …”
Additionally, he say focus on sharpening your nonlinear thinking skills and abstract thinking. Focus on the ability to make connections among unrelated concepts or ideas. Mr. Beccue told InsiderPRO, those naturally drawn to linear thinking are at greater risk.
Recommendations
Bain & Co.’s Beck also recommends that IT pros focus on skills like creativity, persuasion, and leadership: “Workers who want to future-proof their careers should invest in skills that are hard for AI to mimic.”
Gartner’s McRae recommends, “Focus on developing your ability to adapt to new technologies … technology changes and evolves at a very rapid pace, so being adept at learning new technology is incredibly important, and is a skill top employers are seeking.” Martin Fleming, a Fellow of the Productivity Institute sums it up, “Workers who are willing to redesign their jobs, learn new skills and find new ways of working will prosper.”
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It’s all part of a gradual shift from the ‘Thinking Economy,'” which for decades has rewarded cognitive skills, to the “Feeling Economy.” According to the experts, AI is not expected to surpass human capabilities like empathy, emotion management, and inspiration for many years.
We all need to hope that artificial intelligence does develop empathy for humans. Because the current batch mega-tech overlords don’t seem up to protecting society from AI.
