Soft skills that need to be developed in the era of artificial intelligence
As with each year prior, we bid farewell to the previous year pondering what the new one will bring us. For 2023, the question about the future largely revolved around how increasingly developed artificial intelligence will affect our lives. There was much controversy, and it still persists: will machines replace humans, or will humans triumph with their creativity, their "ace up their sleeve"? But until we can definitively ascertain how (un)friendly our relationship with artificial intelligence will be, what we can do is find ways to strengthen our trump cards and simply cooperate with it. In the era of "cold" artificial intelligence, people with more emotional intelligence are expected to excel, and certain "soft" skills will be particularly valuable.
Critical thinking and information verification:
When we mention "artificial intelligence," ChatGPT often comes to mind first, being one of the most commonly used platforms in our environment. Although there are many similar platforms you can use in relation to your business domain, it's essential to carefully formulate queries and understand that you're engaging in a "conversation" with it. Moreover, as we already know, ChatGPT's responses are sourced from all the content available on the Internet up until 2021, and as we're aware - not everything we read can be trusted! Therefore, no matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes, it will remain crucial to continue using our own intelligence to assess what is true and what is false, distinguishing manipulation from fact, and discerning which information we can genuinely use and which we should disregard.
Data analysis and interpretation:
This aspect also builds upon the previous point. While ChatGPT and similar software can help gather a wide variety of data, such as that concerning the target group you're addressing, the question remains: what will you do with that data? At this stage, artificial intelligence, in the form accessible to all of us, won't answer that question. And even if it could, real people understand other people better and will analyze and utilize the obtained data more effectively to achieve set goals.
Troubleshooting:
The greatest advantage of employing artificial intelligence in everyday work lies in the optimization of numerous tasks. Those who use it will attest that it leaves ample room for you to think and generate ideas while it handles the routine tasks. Artificial intelligence can provide the groundwork, offer suggestions on how to accomplish tasks, but the final decision always rests with you. As long as issues involve people, their emotions, and relationships, humans will have the ultimate say. ChatGPT is unlikely to resolve conflicts you may have with colleagues for you; some problems still require your personal attention.
Communication:
Another soft skill that continues to be crucial is communication. Yes, even with artificial intelligence, effective communication is essential! If you fail to articulate prompts adequately, you may not receive satisfactory results. Of course, this pertains to communication with people because, at the end of the day, we still collaborate with a team we interact with daily. Good communication is vital both in business and personal environments, and it will remain so as long as we remain, in the words of Aristotle, "social animals."
Creativity:
Creativity rounds out the list, yet it also serves as its cornerstone. Whether we jest, console, or genuinely believe it, we're correct - creativity remains something in which humans are irreplaceable, regardless of how advanced artificial intelligence programs become. However, don't take your creativity for granted. Nurture and develop it daily through activities that inspire you. Recognize your strengths and talents, nurture them, and utilize AI tools to simplify tasks, much like you use a mobile phone or the Internet.
Text written for the Marketing mreža website by: Ivana Tomić, smartpoint adria Brand Specialist
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