As AI rapidly transforms the workplace, employees are at risk.
Nearly two years after the release of ChatGPT sparked widespread interest in generative AI, it is clear that the jobs of most workers will fundamentally change and some may disappear. It is becoming. An analysis released by the International Monetary Fund in January predicted that artificial intelligence would impact nearly 40% of jobs.
However, the impact of AI on employment is complex and far-reaching. Some roles may be deprecated. Others may be enhanced or created by AI. Employees are feeling anxious, doubtful, and excited all at once. What new skills do I need to develop? How can I stay relevant? And importantly, is my organization ready for this AI-driven future?
He is the Global Head of Innovation at ServiceNow, a cloud-based automation platform, and author of Mindshift: Transforming Leadership, Driving Innovation, and Reshaping the Future. He said that while many executives recognize the potential of AI to improve efficiency by automating repetitive tasks, they often fail to understand the technology’s deep potential. .
“Leaders talk about the new normal, the next normal, but then it just naturally goes back to business as usual,” Solis said. “It’s up to leaders to explore and ask, ‘What if? Who will unlock entirely new ways of working?'”
Brian Solis is the Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow. Photo by Brian Solis
Workers also have a responsibility to learn and grow themselves, he added. You need to try new technology and push yourself beyond your comfort zone both inside and outside of work. “You literally have to rewire your brain,” he says. “If you’re waiting for someone to tell you what to do, you’re on the wrong side of innovation.”
“Workers need to be proactive.”
Despite the breathtaking headlines about how AI will change everything about the way we work, the reality is more mundane.
A quarterly Gallup poll of U.S. workers conducted in May found that 7 in 10 respondents said they had never used AI at work, while 7 in 10 respondents said they had never used AI at work, while 7 out of 10 respondents said they had never used AI at work. Only one in 10 people said yes. The study used a random sample of 21,543 working adults. Among those who said they use AI, the most common uses included generating ideas, integrating information, and automating basic tasks.
Still, investment in AI continues to soar. An IDC report predicts that global spending will more than double to $632 billion by 2028, including AI apps, infrastructure, and related services.
Mansour Javidan, digital transformation expert and executive director of the Najafi Global Mindset Institute at Arizona State Thunderbird School of Global Management, says companies should invest in AI to keep up. He said he is doing so. “There’s a lot of hype created by board expectations, which leads to a herd mentality to act quickly,” he said. “I don’t think any CEO would look bad for investing in AI right now.”
Mansour Javidan is the Executive Director of the Najafi Global Mindset Institute. Photo courtesy of Mansoor Javidan
Meanwhile, employees are caught between uncertainty and expectations. “There’s a disconnect,” Javidan said. “At the highest levels of organizations, there is great excitement about AI. But among lower- and mid-level employees, there is considerable fear and ambiguity as there is no clear path forward.”
But “workers should not rely on senior management and expect things to be rosy,” he said.
Javidan advises employees to take advantage of development opportunities within their organizations and look for online courses. Many top universities, including MIT and Stanford, offer free classes and workshops to help people improve their skills. Grassroots and community-based learning groups such as Women Defining AI can be a valuable resource.
“Workers need to be proactive and educate themselves,” he said.
AI as a strategic ally
Beyond formal training and coursework, getting used to AI requires a fundamental shift in mindset, experts say.
“We are born with skills like curiosity, wonder, and imagination, but we often forget them in school,” Solis says. “The purpose of AI should be to challenge our conventions, not to generate expected answers or reinforce existing thinking.”
Solis said he uses AI as a perspective-taking tool, asking it to generate responses from personas like Apple founder Steve Jobs and Walt Disney. This approach helps you identify blind spots, explore alternative perspectives, and seek inspiration. “They’re my personal coaches,” he said.
Molly Sands, head of the Teamwork Lab at software company Atlassian, which studies AI and teamwork in the age of distributed work, recommends viewing AI as a creative partner rather than just a task-completion machine. I am. “The people who are saving the most time and reaping the greatest benefits are those who see AI as a strategic ally,” she says.
Molly Sands is the head of Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab. Photo by Molly Sands
This includes engaging with AI through dynamic, iterative conversations, similar to working with a team of experts, she said. A new study by researchers at the MIT Sloan School of Management confirms this, finding that human-AI teams show the most promise for creative tasks such as generating content and images and translating software code.
“A lot of people are using it for one or two use cases, but the growth we’re going to see over the next year or two is people thinking about it more ubiquitously,” Sands said. “Agents are going to be a major driver of this.”
For example, her team at Atlassian developed a custom agent designed to help employees write more clearly. Essentially, she said, employees “vomit the word” to agents with information about the audience, context and important details. The agent then presents a customized draft with the worker’s voice.
“Our working hours are spent writing emails, creating slide decks, and other daily tasks,” Sands says. “If AI can take on some of this burden, it will free us up to think creatively and solve important problems, making our lives better.”
The value of soft skills
While learning how to work with AI is essential for most workers, it is important to recognize that human skills remain essential.
At the end of the day, says Hakan Ozcelik, a business professor at California State University, Sacramento, the value of human workers lies in their cognitive, behavioral and emotional abilities. “There are all kinds of skills that AI doesn’t have yet and probably never will have,” he said.
“Humans are inherently social beings, constantly interacting with customers, coworkers, competitors, and their physical environment,” Ozcelik said. “These interpersonal skills are a valuable asset to any organization.”
Hakan Ozcelik is a professor of business administration at California State University, Sacramento. Photo courtesy of Hakan Ozcelik
While AI can process information and perform repetitive functions quickly and accurately, it lacks the soft skills needed for effective communication and strategic decision-making. According to a report from skills development platform Cornerstone, the number of generative AI jobs has increased by 411% since 2023, while soft skills such as leadership, communication and emotional intelligence are 2.4 times more in demand than digital skills in the North. It is said that it exceeded the America is 2.9 times, Europe is 2.9 times.
This is why Ozcelik advises his employees to embark on what he calls “a process of professional self-exploration.” Analyze your day-to-day activities to identify your unique contributions and core competencies that cannot be outsourced. he said.
Also, identify areas where AI can assist. For example, teachers may find that while grading for grammar and syntax can be handled by AI, they need to focus on assessing student ideas and fostering creativity. Similarly, healthcare professionals can leverage AI for administrative tasks and data analysis, while freeing up more quality time for patients.
Even in an AI-driven world, the need for human skills remains. In fact, these skills will become even more important as employees learn how to work effectively with technology, Ozcelik said.
“What matters is what you contribute and what value you bring,” he said.
