Our most basic and valuable skill sets are vulnerable and under attack. This is what you are doing now and what you will most need to do in the future if you are going to continue pursuing competitive success in both your career and life.
But it clearly faces a present danger, an existential threat to its very existence. Because it involves too many temptations of overuse, misuse, and abuse, which already serve as Eve's handing of the apple to Adam.
The need for communication between AI and humans
The threat is AI and if we are not careful to protect ours, communication and interpersonal skills are a valuable skill set (2) Communication as the top two AI competencies and one of the few uniquely human skills will be lost. To distinguish us from the other inhabitants of this planet is to do it ourselves, and to suffer irreparable damage on the way to decentralization and beyond. To be clear, this is not about AI or technology applications. It's about the challenges of AI and human communication, or AI to human communication.
Headlines proudly and proudly broadcast that AI will take over certain industries and professions, especially the lower, entry-level, menial tasks performed by entry-level employees. Writing reports for business analysts, creating PowerPoint presentations, gathering real estate data, creating computer graphics, and more can all be covered.
rock and hard place
See the problem? These are all jobs that rely heavily on good or developing communication and team (soft) skills in addition to technical (hard) skills.
The urgency of this threat cannot be overstated. As expected, in our annual survey, executives and recruiters rank accounting ahead of engineering as the top two most sought-after but difficult-to-find skill sets: (1) communication) and (2) working within a team. It lists the ability to work during the week. What they're saying is essentially that they can provide talent with all the hard skills they need. It's the soft skills issues that keep them up at night. Billions of dollars are spent on this every year.
And now there's an AI with the power and position to rain on this parade. And who is causing this conflict? The manager himself, who has been pulling his hair out in search of soft-skilled employees, is falling all over himself. We're trying to stay ahead of the AI game. Go figure. The monster they're creating is the immediate threat of empty benches as they work on succession planning and look for candidates with good…erm, communication skills.
people of the world
Here's what Dr. David Steele said. Dr. Steele, dean of the Silverman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2003 and previously president of Chevron Latin America, when I began teaching communication and leadership courses in the MBA program. often said this in his speeches to Executive MBA and other graduate candidates. . “My simple message to you is that if we are to have an advantage in this ultra-competitive market, we must become citizens of the world.”
“I believe that advanced education is essential now more than ever. More importantly, we have significantly reconsidered the concept of knowledge, changing the emphasis from “hard” knowledge to “soft” knowledge. and that we must emphasize what sets us apart as individuals and as a nation. ”
Dr. Steele spoke about communication skills, self-knowledge, multicultural perspectives, core values, ethics, team building, innovation, and creativity. Essentially, he said, the focus is on developing “good interpersonal skills.”
He was right in 2003, long before AI took hold in enterprises, and he's even more right now. In fact, he changed the face of his MBA program by launching that course. executive communication and leadership, and made it compulsory in the first nine credits for all students, so it will have a positive impact not only on their careers, but also on their chances of success in other courses later on. But if we're going to let AI take over, what are the chances that it will do what Dr. Steele suggests? Or at least until the right places in the grid are carefully measured?
Just to be clear, this discussion is about unintended consequences, not all the intentionally evil ways people dream of using AI. But when you think about it, the perverse nature of AI, which unwittingly undermines the collective communication culture we have built over generations, may set us back. The conclusion that this may happen may come sooner or later. We continue to see it as progress.
Have you seen this scenario before? It certainly looks like a Trojan horse to me.