How do you get ahead in AI upskilling?

Part 2 in “Great, AI is coming, now what do I do?”

Fatigue of the “AI will replace us all” dialogue is creeping in, followed closely by the anxious realization that inaction is not an option. Fun mix. Nonetheless, even innovative tech companies appear cautious in testing the waters, knowing full well that a failed initiative will cost them, given the sensitive nature of upskilling a workforce (the line between ‘retrain’ & ‘replace current workers’ being historically thin). So, how do you identify the AI-forward decisions you can make if you want to get ahead with business goals _and_ take your team with you?

In a cacophony of AI-flavoured possibilities, remember — the game is changing, but two out of three players remain the same, and their motivations are already known. The sweet spot for navigating the risks and opportunities that come with AI should have a mild taste of “realism.” Let’s sample some options, and who doesn’t love a Venn diagram?

Red circle: skills employees have mastered and reported enjoying. Mind that we are not talking about skills in which humans excel, as in the workplace, company culture, or provided opportunities & incentives play a decisive role. Here, we have social skills like team collaboration (one of the most enjoyable parts of organizational work, according to a report by Glint) and creativity-based skills like non-routine problem solving (Deloitte (2021) found that employees who engage in complex creative tasks report higher job satisfaction).

Blue circle: skills companies will likely need to function and grow in the next 10 years (taking the existing broad consensus). Here, we have decision-making under uncertainty, emotional intelligence, and learning agility, to name a few.

Green circle: areas where we know AI can perform as well as or better than employees in some way. This space is growing, and its overlap areas are something to keep an eye on. Well-known example domains include communication technology, data entry, and forecasting solutions.

We want the lovely ripened fruit in the center — those skills that can be reinvented through additional training and organizational support, playing into employees’ preferences while making them effective beyond current abilities. These win-win opportunities can make a massive difference for a business, affecting both external and internal stakeholders. Here are some examples I have seen work very well for tech companies:

1. Data-Driven Decision-Making

We generally dislike uncertainty — taking risks at work often doesn’t yield clear benefits — but we know to use experience and/or supporting data to help minimize it. By setting the guidelines straight and outsourcing the preparation of the necessary numeric assets to AI, companies enable faster decision-making and a lower error rate at all organizational levels.

2. Creative Problem Solving

AI can handle repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on more complex, creative challenges. Co-pilots (technical, ops, pm.) can do preliminary research or prepare a document draft, for example, freeing employee headspace to consider more unusual solutions.

3. Collaboration & Communication

Employees excel at teamwork and communication when not overburdened by administrative work and/or synthetic communication interfaces (chat apps and video calls are increasingly prevalent in today’s remote work environments). NLP tools help to bridge communication gaps, reduce misunderstanding, and minimize update fatigue — even across language barriers and time zones.

4. Customer Engagement and Empathy

No employee can stay happy and supportive 24/7, making customer service a taxing yet critical business function. Leveraging sentiment analysis and issue-screening tools, employees can tailor and improve the quality of their interactions with customers on any matter.

Conclusion

Regardless of mainly being profit-oriented, companies still function for humans with the help of humans. It will be a long and complicated journey, where the roles are not defined yet. Will employees want more control and use unions to keep certain functions? Who will decide on ways to upskill top management? Company leaders are more likely to find meaningful, sustainable progress in addressing the challenges that arise according to all parties’ mutual interests — and hopefully not being paralyzed by too many opinions. Supporting your employees in this complex transition time can be essential for establishing loyalty and trust amidst the coming AI shift.

Follow me not to miss Part 3 in “Question of a decade — What are you optimizing for?”