5 Strategies for your Career in AI Era – Updates on AI and Technology
Artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT and its recently unveiled successor GPT-4, has dominated discussions about the future of business, work, and learning since last fall. A career in the era of AI has become a major topic as ChatGPT has surpassed Instagram and TikTok as the fastest-growing consumer application, while Google suffered a $100 billion market cap loss following an unsuccessful AI product demonstration that raised concerns about its competitiveness.
The implications of AI extend beyond companies, as individuals face significant challenges in navigating this landscape and safeguarding their careers. For years, experts have emphasized the importance of leveraging creativity and other distinct human skills to thrive amidst AI disruption. However, the latest wave of AI demonstrates its capability to accomplish much more than just number crunching and data analysis. It can generate professional-level art and design through platforms like DALL-E and Midjourney, and even produce articles and copywriting that could potentially replace journalists and marketers.
Rather than engaging in debates about whether AI is “smarter” or “better” than us, it is time to acknowledge the widespread use of these tools. As authors Tomas and Dorie, who respectively authored the book “I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique,” and work as a consultant and keynote speaker on personal branding and career development, our focus lies in how we can enhance ourselves by effectively utilizing these tools.
Of course, AI offers nearly infinite tactical applications. For example, professionals can enhance their productivity by actively utilizing tools like GPT-4, Microsoft’s Bing (now integrated with GPT-4), or the recently launched Copilot for various work-related tasks. These tools can assist with brainstorming, drafting emails, or conducting rapid and intricate research.
However, beyond these specific use cases, our focus lies in exploring whether professionals can still employ strategies to generate unique value in the face of AI’s remarkable and exponentially growing power. In other words, we seek to identify personal actions that can help professionals mitigate the risk of displacement and future-proof themselves in the era of intelligent machines. Here are five strategies that we consider particularly crucial.
To avoid predictability, it is essential to recognize that AI operates as a prediction engine, offering guesses on the most probable next word. While this is useful at a micro-level, such as in completing common phrases like “thank” followed by “you,” AI suggestions tend to homogenize and rely on the wisdom of the crowds, which is often flawed. As Oscar Wilde famously said, “Everything popular is wrong,” a sentiment that would likely apply to heavy users of ChatGPT.
If used appropriately, this aspect of generative AI can be a powerful tool. For example, GPT-4 can be employed to access common knowledge or ignorance, allowing insights into how most people think, including their prejudices and misconceptions. Nevertheless, deploying these tools without questioning their algorithms and nudges can lead to a loss of individuality and make us more predictable over time.
Consider the use of Gmail’s autocomplete feature, where relying on AI to complete searches or emails compromises originality and uniqueness, turning AI’s predictions into self-fulfilling prophecies. While GPT-4 is valuable for ideation and initial drafts, those seeking to stand out may benefit, in certain cases, by intentionally going against its suggestions, thereby challenging conventional wisdom. Just as corporations have recognized that using generic “corporate speak” alienates customers, individuals may discover the advantage of expressing their own personalities, embracing serendipity and unpredictability, especially when others turn to AI.
In order to distinguish yourself in the age of AI, focus on honing the skills that machines strive to imitate. While GPT-4 has been trained to exhibit politeness and respectfulness (especially after addressing previous vulnerabilities), its responses showcase empathy (“I am sorry my answer upset you”), self-awareness (“I’m just an AI model and my answers are based on training data”), and even creativity (producing clever haikus, impersonating Elon Musk, and generating countless cheese jokes in multiple languages). However, it’s important to note that these responses are generated through text prediction, and AI cannot genuinely experience or demonstrate the human version of these soft skills. As extensively argued by Tomas, humans are naturally inclined to respond to authentic emotions. Therefore, truly understanding and caring about others’ thoughts and feelings, having genuine self-awareness, and possessing the ability to create something beyond the reach of machines become crucial strategies to distinguish oneself in the era of AI.
To thrive in the era of AI, focus on strengthening real-world interactions. GPT-4 and AI, in general, are confined to the digital realm, limited to 0s and 1s. While many activities have shifted to the digital space, it is crucial to acknowledge that AI cannot disrupt our analog, in-person connections with others. Therefore, it is important to dedicate time and protect these connections. According to Harvard Professor Arthur C. Brooks, technology that replaces real-life interactions negatively impacts our well-being and should be managed with caution.
Engaging in activities like sharing meals with colleagues, attending conferences, and initiating conversations with strangers may seem less urgent given the prolonged absence during the pandemic. However, these activities provide opportunities to forge connections and gain insights that are simply not possible through AI. They represent a unique competitive advantage that we still possess.
Similarly, original research, involving direct conversations and uncovering new insights, becomes crucial. AI can only connect existing dots and information it has already been presented with. By tapping into information that is not yet available online through lived experiences or novel interviews and conversations, you contribute something genuinely new to the cultural discourse that AI cannot replicate.
Build your personal brand as AI tools continue to advance in quality, potentially disrupting lower and middle segments of various professions (such as freelance copywriters and designers catering to cost-conscious clients who favor free options). While AI may even match the quality of professionals at the highest level, industry leaders with strong brands are unlikely to be displaced. Just as art collectors are willing to pay significantly more for a genuine Rembrandt compared to an equally beautiful painting by a lesser-known contemporary, corporate leaders are likely to pay a premium to work with individuals recognized as the “top of their field.” This premium serves as a statement of quality and reflects the brand image they want to associate with and value. For instance, even a local tire shop or florist can use AI to create a logo, but it is those with discernment and financial resources who can afford to engage elite agencies. The rise of AI does not change the fundamental fact, closely tied to human nature, that branding holds significance.
Nurture your expertise. While GPT-4 and other AI technologies excel at rapid information retrieval, it’s important to recognize that not all the facts they provide are accurate due to occasional “hallucinations” that AI has faced. Trustworthiness of AI-generated results is not guaranteed at this stage. That’s why developing recognized expertise in your field is invaluable. Even if AI can assist with initial drafts, it still requires verification from a trusted and reliable source. By becoming that source, you will be sought after for your authoritative ability to validate AI’s responses.
By following these strategies, you can uncover ways to offer distinctive value amidst advancements in technologies like GPT-4. Embracing your expertise remains the most reliable path to ensure your career remains secure, even in times of change.
