Humans walked anywhere they needed to go in the beginning. After realizing that certain animals were stronger and faster runners, they eventually took the risk of mounting some of them and used others to pull the plow and carry their cargo. Nonetheless, they faced difficulties, such as the horse’s refusal to allow anyone to sit on it and steer it. On the other hand, certain quick-witted guys learned how to break the horse, mount it, and make it submit.
Years later, a few other clever people invented a motor-powered carriage. That necessitated acquiring new skills. One was learning how to drive and use this new device, which made moving around easier for humans.
Every system-improving innovation will inevitably lead to skill gaps, system and technical obsolescence, and human and skill redundancies. There is now a structure in place that will deliver more effectively. Champions under the previous system run the risk of becoming outdated due to the obsolescence of their skills. They frequently grow skeptical and look on with contempt as the new system takes over because of their cherished familiarity and sacred knowledge of the previous one. The onboarding period for new systems will result in several skill gaps as old ones are retired, particularly for the new skill sets required to interact with the new system.
To take advantage of everything the new system has to offer, early adopters dive headfirst into it and create entirely new skill sets. Additionally, there are more opportunities for these early adopters to gain from the new system. The more the needed skill sets to drive the new system are lacking, the more opportunities there are.
Some Prompts to Get Started
What fresh competencies is the AI revolution requiring?
What level of disruption can we expect, at least in your sector?
How can you take advantage of these disruptions?
What skill set adjustments are you making to improve yourself and stay ahead?
Whether artificial intelligence will shape our era is no longer up for debate. The conversation now is how soon you will learn to ride this new horse because it will be very different from simply trekking
Seven Essentials to Harness AI
Learn the New Language, AI-nese
Artificial intelligence still relies on humans to learn until it reaches general intelligence. That being said, what your astute AI will serve you is some vomit that has been regurgitated. Saying that you shouldn’t trust your AI is incorrect. To be able to give instructions to your AI and understand its feedback, you must become more intelligent than it is. Otherwise, you run the risk of depending on it while it depends in part on information and data from your disagreeable neighbor.
To fully utilize artificial intelligence’s powers, one must learn how to prompt AI. Understanding how to craft precise and contextually relevant prompts enables you to elicit accurate and meaningful responses from AI models. A well-written prompt directs the model to produce the intended result, increasing productivity and customizing the interaction to your requirements. This ability is essential for utilizing AI in various fields, such as natural language processing and problem-solving, since it enables you to formulate questions and assignments in a way that is compatible with the model’s capabilities, which in turn improves the worth of your interactions with AI systems.
Remember, AI is Not God
Google contested the God title so much that Google Home once said it didn’t know who Jesus was. You do not know Google if you do not appreciate how unyielding it is. “Everyone” worldwide, especially Gen Z, irrespective of religious affiliation, would consult Google to confirm or validate their spiritual leaders. For many, Google is their chief medical consultant. If a teacher has not experienced humiliation at the hands of a student because Google presented an opposing viewpoint, then the teacher is probably not engaging the students sufficiently. Yet, Google is just an infant AI. If Google commands us to ask it everything and we unwittingly ask it for permission before we act, AI tools and platforms would do much more.
If Google commands us to ask it everything and we unwittingly ask it for permission before we act, AI tools and platforms would do much more.
The world run by adult AI will see a lot of democratized digital gods. Therefore, choose wisely who you follow.
Master AI Ethics and Legalities
Gaining a diverse skill set is essential to navigating the tricky maze of AI ethics and laws. Learn about the laws and rules that control artificial intelligence, including those about data protection and industry-specific compliance requirements. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of developing ethical standards and legal advancements in artificial intelligence. Focus on accountability, transparency, and fairness as you engage the revolving wheels of AI ethics and legalities. Keep pace with the developments in legislative quarters around AI. Stay original as much as you can afford. With the growing blurriness around copyright concerns, originality still counts. Learn how to build on AI-generated assets.
Retool With and Integrate AI
To fully utilize the revolutionary power of AI, deliberate retooling is required. Even though Google announced their AI plans before every other person, they are slow in integrating what they have on their search engine platform – Google. Smaller groups and even completely new startups are making AI their default setup. Perhaps Google is planning something big. However, such slow deployment is what you and I cannot afford.
Start by trying out the various AI tools that are launched every day. Most of them have free versions and plans. Learn their unique strengths and weaknesses. Then decide which one(s) will serve you the best for the task you want to use them for. You can also enroll in courses and earn certifications to set you apart as an expert in a specific AI idea or application. Work together with AI specialists and enthusiasts. Yaba AI Hub, moderated by INSDEC at Lagos, is one example of such a peer-learning center. Keep up with the latest developments in your area of interest. Keep learning.
AI Will Not Deliver Soft Skills
Soft skills like empathy, openness, and skillful communication are essential in today’s AI world to improve your proficiency with this game-changing technology. Although technical expertise will be demanded because AI will make excuses for poor grammar, typos, and poorly done PowerPoints a thing of the past, soft skills, on the other hand, will depend on our individual capacities to deliver. Though technical competence, which AI can help with, can get us spots in the workplace, without the necessary soft skills, we will lose such spots.
In addition, understanding and tackling the ethical issues surrounding AI require empathy. Because of the highly disruptive nature of such a fast-evolving technology, operators and innovators must build with a human-centric perspective. The majority of Generation X will retire in the next eight to twenty-five years. For most of the later part of their work lives, they have battled to adjust to the challenges posed by the advances of digital technology in the workplace. Thanks in part to Millennials’ and Gen Z’s insatiable appetite for such technologies. The AI revolution will make that problem worse. Aya A calls it the Digital Technology Gap. There must be an intentionality to serve new workplace expectations with a generous dose of soft skills. There must be care to foster collaboration, establish trust in AI systems, and insist on a culture of transparent communication in onboarding and explaining complicated AI concepts to a range of audiences. You and I will still be needed to deliver the emotional intelligence, empathy, resilience, negotiation, and persuasion skills needed in the workplace. AI will not do those. AI may give you tips and even help you prepare the PowerPoints for your presentation, but you have to stand before the panel to make that presentation. Employers may no longer look at the smartness of your presentations, visuals, and reports. It will soon be taken for granted that AI does that for everyone. The focus will now be on the other things your humanity brings to the table.
Remain the Craftsman
When it comes to people, AI is a tool, just like a pencil can replace a piece of chalk or a power drill can replace a traditional hammer and nail. Like these instruments, AI acts as a technical enabler, increasing productivity and opening up new avenues. It is improving our human talents, enabling more complex and subtle problem-solving. Just like a power drill enhances a craftsman’s ability to deliver accurately and with speed rather than detracting from it, AI functions as a boost to human intelligence and potential. Getting the best out of AI requires that we appreciate that we control whatever AI tools we use and decide their impact. While we should use them to spark innovation and even execute most of it, we must remain the innovators.
Do not Outsource Decision-making
Closely related to the need to remain in the driver’s seat as craftsmen, decision-making cannot be outsourced to AI. If the system would depend on you to make those decisions, then you and I must be “better” than the AI. We must use the AI tools in a way that demands that we are aware that we know better. The decisions taken are our responsibility. We must vet every suggestion the AI tool gives us. While you should appreciate the speed and efficiency it offers, the buck stops with you.
Bill Gates talks about a future run by “agents.” One’s decisions can be left entirely to these super-intelligent agents. That is understandable because of their superior computing speed. These are artificial “beings” that will know you better than you and may be able to make smarter and more logical decisions for you than you can. Until then, and as we decide how much to outsource to them, the bots and Ais we have for now do not know enough to make all the decisions for us.
Finally,
Even though AI is capable of doing so much, it is still important to develop our core competencies and talents in those areas that AI cannot replace. Knowing the nuances of AI technologies, and especially how to prompt, will enable us to use them more skillfully, guaranteeing the best results and debugging when needed. Furthermore, human oversight is necessary for assessing complex data, reaching decisions, and dealing with unforeseen difficulties that AI might not be able to precisely handle. Gaining proficiency in AI-related jobs will also make us more useful team members since we will be able to steer the application of AI in ways that best suit the requirements of our various businesses and workflows and seamlessly incorporate them into our unique organizational cultures. Constant skill development guarantees flexibility in a rapidly changing technological environment, enabling us to keep ahead of changes and make significant contributions to the changing roles and responsibilities in an AI-driven workplace. Most importantly, a truly human touch is all the more needed in a world where the click of the mouse may make competence, diligence, and hard work seem worthless.
Studio52Seven 
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