Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) has become a widely recognized term in recent years, with a significant advancement observed in this field. Major industry players such as Open AI, Microsoft, Google, and others are actively engaged in the race to develop this technology and establish themselves as leading Gen AI providers.
Consequently, numerous companies are adapting to this trend. In sectors like insurance, there is an on-going research and exploration to shift towards integrating Gen AI to enhance the prediction of customer needs for personalized insurance products, improve risk assessment and fraud detection, and automate processes to reduce costs and increase profitability. In the realm of Project Management, the adoption of Gen AI is evident through initiatives such as PMI Infinity, where Gen AI serves as personal assistant to the Project Managers. Additionally, Gen AI has made inroads into various sectors including media, marketing, legal services, business process outsourcing, finance, and banking, with a high potential for further penetration into diverse markets.
However, despite the rapid progress, Gen AI remains imperfect at present. As of the time of writing, Open AI's ChatGPT is trained on data up to September 2021, with access to updates until April 2023. Furthermore, Gen AI algorithms can still yield incorrect responses, hence, the importance of performing fact checking. Nevertheless, it is very important to get onboard this Gen AI wave to keep yourself up-to-date and prepare for a future-proof career with the advancement of this technology.
With the rise of Gen AI, there is an increasing worry on workers' displacements. A 2023 report from Goldman Sachs estimated 300 million jobs could be affected by Gen AI (Briggs, J & Kodnani, 2023). This means 18% of the work globally could be automated. On a Sep 2023 survey that Gallup conducted, it revealed at least 22% of full-time American workers worry that technology will make their job obsolete (Saad, 2023). Forbes also reported in 2023 that the jobs most impacted include finance and banking, media and marketing, and legal services while manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare are least impacted (Johnson, 2023)
So, how can we future-proof our career using our greatest talents - our strengths - in this age of AI? Here are some tips for you!
Discover Your Greatest Talents - Your Strengths
It starts with what you naturally do best - your talents - and develop them into strengths. CliftonStrengths assessment gives people a way to communicate what is right about themselves and others. It gives people a vocabulary to explore one another’s talents, strengths, needs, motivations and contributions in a positive way.
By discovering your talents and developing them into strengths, you have an edge to tap into your greatest potential and use this to build your path towards a future-proof career in this AI age.
Use Your Strengths to Adapt to AI and Automation
In order to future-proof your career, it is essential to know and understand AI and automation, and how they can enhance your present working environment. Instead of viewing AI and automation as potential threats to your career, consider leveraging them as invaluable personal tools to streamline certain tasks. This enables you to focus on more high-impact responsibilities and outcomes, which ultimately boost your productivity.
Here are some tips to use your strengths to adapt to AI and automation based on your dominant CliftonStrengths domain:
Executing | If you are leading with Executing talents, it's time to dive into the world of AI and automation headfirst! Choose one of the AI tools at your disposal and make it your mission to master it. And remember, each milestone you achieved is a reason to celebrate! |
Relationship Building | If you are leading with Relationship Building talents, you may consider joining groups of professionals learning AI and automation. This can give you a boost of learning with someone else, which can lead to a more effective way of learning this technology. You can also consider exploring AI tools with your colleagues and even friends and to streamline your work or just use it for fun. |
Influencing | If you are leading with Influencing talents, you may consider rallying your team or your friends to learn AI and automation together. Gather their insights on how they can be more productive with the use of these tools and recommend to your manager to consider in your and your team's career development plan. Be an ambassador of change towards productive use of AI and automation in your career. |
Strategic Thinking | If you are leading with Strategic Thinking talents, gather data about your work situation and research on how AI and automation can help you and your team to increase productivity. You can also gather ideas from your team and compile it to come up with an effective strategy on adapting AI and automation to your career and/or to your company. |
CliftonStrengths and the CliftonStrengths domain names are registered trademark of Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
Build Your Professional Network or Connections
One thing that AI cannot disrupt is our real-life, in-person connection with others. Connect with like-minded individuals in your field, join professional networks that you can learn and share insights. Discover and communicate new insights in your field that is not embedded yet in AI or AI is not yet capable with.
For managers and leaders, it is important to remember that valuing and fostering human relationships will always be essential for effective leadership.
Think about these:
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Cultivate Your Expertise and Develop Your Personal Brand
In this age, it is crucial to cultivate your expertise in your field. Gen AI relies on data being fed and currently, it is not 100% accurate yet. Cultivating your expertise can bring you to be a sought-after expert to vet on the accuracy of Gen AI's response.
Also explore on how AI can be leveraged in your field and contribute to its development.
Another crucial element is developing your personal brand. Once you pinpoint your specialization, cultivate it and assist others. Enhance your worth by conveying a coherent message to your professional connections and engaging in coaching and mentoring. I suggest checking out this article for further insights on enhancing your personal branding: https://hbr.org/2023/09/how-to-define-develop-and-communicate-your-personal-brand
Next, let's ponder on these questions:
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In the face of concerns about AI and automation potentially changing the nature of work, it is crucial to embrace a mindset of adaptability and a willingness to learn and adapt to the new possibilities these advancements offer. Rather than viewing AI as a threat, we should see it as a chance to expand, forge valuable connections, enhance productivity, refine our skills, and establish our personal brand. To succeed in this endeavor, it is essential to identify our key talents - our strengths - and determine how we can use them to future-proof our careers in the age of AI.
References:
Briggs, J & Kodnani, D. (2023, March). The Potentially Large Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Economic Growth (Briggs/Kodnani). Goldman Sachs. https://www.gspublishing.com/content/research/en/reports/2023/03/27/d64e052b-0f6e-45d7-967b-d7be35fabd16.html?url=blog&url=pdfa-format&url=what-are-the-different-types-of-pdfa.
Saad, L. (2023, September). More U.S. Workers Fear Technology Making Their Jobs Obsolete. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/510551/workers-fear-technology-making-jobs-obsolete.aspx.
Johnson, A. (2023, March). Which Jobs Will AI Replace? These 4 Industries Will Be Heavily Impacted. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/03/30/which-jobs-will-ai-replace-these-4-industries-will-be-heavily-impacted.
Clark, D & Chamorro-Premuzic T. (2023, April). 5 Ways to Future-Proof Your Career in the Age of AI. Harvard Business Review.
https://hbr.org/2023/04/5-ways-to-future-proof-your-career-in-the-age-of-ai
The Future of Work & Leadership in The Age of AI. Berkeley ExecEd.
https://executive.berkeley.edu/thought-leadership/blog/future-work-leadership-age-ai
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