Skills Needed for the Rise of AI

Should we fear AI? A question we are all asking; listening to a myriad of thoughts around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the impact it will have on every single aspect of our life; what benefits AI will bring versus what threats it may have on our future when it comes to issues like security, privacy, economy, employment…etc.

Meanwhile flashing back to year 1999, remembering the time when specialists warned tapping the first day in 2000 as it could be the end of the world with computers not being prepared to jump into the future…  At that time the future seemed so dark and so unknown; the same vagueness that we experience now with the rise of AI, not fully known future that may promise either the good or evil, a future that can be controlled by machines that despite the fact they were originally created by humans; humans are now afraid of them being more intelligent, capable, and reliable. Such machines may come to displace humans and create the so called “rise of the useless class”.

The rise of AI

If we simplify AI to the mere computing ability that allows a machine to think as humans, and compare that to the sum of inventions we had so far in our lives, now and before, that have such characteristic. Not only the most recent Google’s self-driving car or Apple’s Siri are proven interventions, but longer ago back in 1979 we had some interactive medium called Pac-Man which is a video game, such game could obviously think and react to the outside world with high computing ability which can speak of AI as well, but 40 years ago!

AI is there since decades, and so is our fascination by the potential we can tap into if we manage to make a machine think and react not only as humans can do but even better, much faster, smarter, and much more reliably. 

AI and the Future of Work

Imagine a tireless worker that can work 24/7 constantly and consistently with no “fatigue” or whining because of excessive workload? Quality is super, errors are minimal, and pace is guaranteed; No boredom, absenteeism, or relentless ask for a raise; this is the upside AI can bring to the world of work. The downside is therefore obvious; man can be replaced by machine! Humans will be ousted from certain jobs, and AI will take over…

If thought leaders and innovators have to focus about one thing in the future of work it should be how to make man and machine work together in harmony and complementarity. They should stop talking competition as ‘man vs machine’, and do rather focus on how a machine can best complement a working human being; how could it alleviate the burden of administrative and routine tasks to allow more space for better brain work; even in areas where a machine can perform some brain work then how to spare the human brain from such areas and utilize it where the need is for more sophisticated brain-ware.

What to ‘Educate’ then?

We need to think ahead of time and do the proper mapping of what areas are the human territories versus what areas will be machine territories in 15-20 years from now; thinking of today’s young students that will graduate in 15 years and have the right to be educated and shaped right.

Preparing hands is not anymore solely the need - machines have better hands anyhow - preparing minds is becoming increasingly the need. Human brains need to be shaped properly and to be differentiated from robots’ brains; for example they need to know how to solve sophisticated problems that a robot cannot solve, or do fine arts that a robot cannot do, or ultimately keep developing a robot that can do better than the existing one; we need to teach our students how to act entrepreneurially, to be agile, to think digitally, and before all to communicate and collaborate with both man and machine, and work together in complete harmony; thus keep innovating and evolving toward the prosperity of “mankind”. Those are the qualities that we need our future generations to enjoy and keep pursuing to best cope with the "future of work".

Ahmed El Saadany

Learning Manager

Siemens Egypt