A report published by Cisco and other industry tech leaders last month demonstrated that upskilling and reskilling of workers when it comes to AI within the information and communication technology (ICT) sector is essential.
How AI will shape the workforce of the future is a question being asked by different industries, as it comes to terms with how AI technologies can be integrated into the day-to-day tasks to streamline them and increase efficiency.
During London Tech Week, the event provided an opportunity to have discussions around technologies and people, not as exclusive topics, but instead seeing how the two intersect. In a talk held on the power of nurturing people, the conversation among panellists turned from investing in the right people to how AI might have the potential to support people. “The short answer is yes of course,” said Hanno Renner, Co-Founder and CEO of Personio, one of the panellists. “It’s the same as with other technologies: it’s an enhancer, and it’s really important to figure out where you want to use these technologies.”
AI: will it support workers or replace them?
Will AI support workers, or replace them? There’s certainly a fear that the latter will happen. When we talk about AI technologies, a good portion of it revolves around Generative AI (GenAI) – tools to generate content, like text, images and videos that have been fed with human created content, and as a consequence, can replicate it.
Over in the state of New Jersey, in the US, residents are being consulted about GenAI, to learn more about what they believe will be the greatest challenges and opportunities with regards to GenAI in the workplace.
“There is no question that Generative AI has the potential to transform our society and impact workers across industries – not just those in the tech sector,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Generative Artificial intelligence can be used to improve the day-to-day lives of New Jerseyans. This survey will ensure that our residents’ voices are heard and used to influence our decisions, helping us develop the appropriate policies, opportunities, and guardrails.”
Early results of the survey show 72% of respondents believe they will feel less secure in their jobs because of AI and 69% expect AI to lead to increased unemployment.
Viewing AI through the lens of the biggest challenges and opportunities is becoming a more common narrative. The speed at which it has developed has called for governments, authorities and regulators to be able to keep pace in legislating. The EU AI Act, which came into force on the 1st August 2024, is one such attempt by the European Union to legislate the use of AI. It created a framework for unacceptable AI systems, high risk AI systems and systems that fall into either category, like GenAI, which must disclose content has been created using artificial intelligence.
Findings from the Cisco report
Fears around people being replaced by AI are not necessarily new – when robots started to be deployed in manufacturing in the 1960s, there were fears that people would lose their jobs in favour of the faster, cheaper, tireless robot labour. The pace at which artificial intelligence is developing, however, presents a greater challenge, different to the robot arms of old.
A more nuanced answer might be that workers not trained in AI will be replaced by those who are – a message that Cisco’s report is keen to stress; on the importance of training and upskilling.
The AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium, which is led by Cisco and includes Accenture, Eightfold, IBM, Indeed, Google, Intel, Microsoft and SAP, published “The Transformational Opportunity of AI on ICT Jobs”.
The in-depth analysis from the report offers insights into the impact of AI on nearly 50 key roles within the ICT sector, providing practical training recommendations to help build an AI-enabled workforce.
The initiative behind this report aims to equip workers with the necessary skills to adapt to the changing demands of the job market. As technologies like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Midjourney become more prevalent, it is essential for workers to prepare for increasingly digital work environments.
According to a recent World Economic Forum study, 58% of employees surveyed anticipate significant changes in their job skills within the next five years due to AI and Big Data.
“AI represents a never-before-seen opportunity for technology to benefit humankind in every way, and we have to act intentionally to make sure populations don’t get left behind,” explained Francine Katsoudas, Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer, Cisco, and founding member of the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium. “Across the Consortium member companies, we have made it our collective responsibility to train and upskill 95 million people over the next 10 years. By investing in a long-term roadmap for an inclusive workforce, we can help everyone participate and thrive in the era of AI.”
Key findings
The report provides an overview of AI’s impact on ICT roles, equipping both workers and employers to embrace the future of work in an AI-driven world:
- 92% of ICT roles analysed are expected to undergo either significant or moderate transformation due to AI advancements
- Entry-level and mid-level ICT professionals are at the forefront of this, with 40% of mid-level roles and 37% of entry-level roles expected to experience high levels of change
- As AI redefines job functions, certain skills will become more crucial (such as AI ethics, responsible AI, prompt engineering, AI literacy, Large Language Models [LLM] architecture, and agile methodologies), while others may reduce in relevance (including traditional data management, content creation, documentation maintenance, basic programming, and research tasks)
- Foundational skills necessary across ICT roles for AI readiness include AI literacy, data analytics, and prompt engineering
There’s plenty of other editorial on our sister site, Electronic Specifier! Or you can always join in the conversation by commenting below or visiting our LinkedIn page.
