While it’s expected that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace certain job functions, the emergence of ChatGPT and other generative tools has everyone from content creators to software developers wondering about the longevity of their careers. But humans have something AI doesn’t—the ability to understand and connect with other humans.
So, how do enterprises find the balance between technology and human capital? Let’s start with the shift from traditional hard skills-based hiring to a stronger emphasis on soft skills. Then, we’ll explore how AI can help identify those hard-to-define soft skills tailored to an organization’s needs, creating better work environments, more fulfilled employees, and harmony between humans and algorithms.
The Evolution of Skills-Based Hiring
For millennia, people were hired for jobs because they knew how to perform certain tasks and for their mastery of tools. The contemporary of this idea is known as skills-based hiring, or hiring that focuses primarily on skill requirements rather than on college degrees or other, more conventional credentials. Now, companies are taking a page from the past, investing in identifying the critical skills required for success in their unique job roles and the tools to measure them effectively.
Even though we are still living in the skills-based hiring era, something else has started happening. AI has already been playing a significant role in augmenting many jobs, making employees faster and more efficient than ever before. As this technology improves, there is every reason to believe that AI will eventually become an outright better option than a living and breathing employee for many roles. The list of potentially endangered skilled jobs keeps expanding.
Are we witnessing the end of work for humans as we know it? There is no question that AI will disrupt certain roles and industries more than others, but it will also create jobs. SHRM and Harvard Business Review estimate that there could be 97 million “jobs of the future,” or new roles that will be created as a result of the shift from human to machine labor. But we believe that there is a compelling new place for uniquely human skills in this new era of AI.
People are hardwired for creativity and community, contributing to something bigger than themselves. The high demand for human purpose will create the market condition for them to stay relevant and employed. Additionally, and despite all the hype about AI companions, it’s other humans who we develop a kinship with, relate to, and want to be around. As a result, we should expect a greater emphasis on relationships in the jobs market. In other words: soft skills.
Soft Skills are the New Hard Skills
AI will quickly outcompete humans on our knowledge of tools—it already does in many areas. But our ability to be human, understand, connect, and communicate with other humans is what will drive enterprise success in the post-AI revolution.
For example, imagine you’re mistakenly overcharged by your financial brokerage. It’s possible five minutes of your time with an advanced AI-powered customer service solution will resolve the problem. What it will not do is turn the bad experience into an opportunity to exercise empathy and care, rekindle the relationship, and ultimately win your loyalty and business for years to come.
But unlike hard skills that can easily be carried out by AI, soft skills are harder to identify and tie into job requirements. Additionally, soft skills are subjective, often being viewed through pre-existing biases. For example, it’s common to refer to salespeople as “hunters,” ascribing to them stereotypical masculine aggressive traits. Data shows that these stereotypes are divorced from personal characteristics that actually drive sales success.
Here’s where AI comes in handy—not to replace humans, but to help them find a job where their soft skills will empower them to be more successful and satisfied in their role. The good news is that organizations already have the data AI needs from existing employees that can help identify the soft skills that are important for their jobs. This includes inputs such as personal attributes, job success metrics, retention, satisfaction, and engagement, as well as feedback about what’s seen as important to succeed in each job.
Another advantage of leveraging AI for soft skills-based hiring is that it’s universal. This enables employers to evaluate candidates for any number of jobs at the same time, and the candidates to apply for any number of jobs at the same time, streamlining the entire application process and evaluating high-quality candidates who otherwise may have gone elsewhere.
The Next Frontier of Talent Development
What will professional development look like when employees’ main skills are the soft ones? Historically, job competency models have been used by many organizations. This type of professional development has been losing relevance due to the dynamic nature of skills and competencies in today’s jobs—not to mention a total lack of personalization.
Just like neither nature nor nurture alone makes a person to be who they are, employers can’t rely solely on recruiting or professional development to attract top talent. In the soft skills-focused market of the near future, we will use AI to determine development priorities that are highly personalized for each individual in the context of their current or prospective job.
This shift in professional development is a huge leap forward compared to traditional, static role-based competency models and cookie-cutter development plans. But we’re only scratching the surface of AI-powered professional development. What comes next is a complete personalization of the learning experience that is driven by these priorities.
The personalization parameters can include the role, industry, and markets, as well as individual characteristics such as motivations, attention patterns, information consumption preferences, and more. This way the learning will not only be extremely relevant but also highly engaging and tailored to each employee’s style of learning.
AI is capable of many things: it can be a tool for displacing people from jobs or helping them become more professionally fulfilled. How we decide to use it is up to us. The way we see it, AI can help humans continue to be a productive force, but also better versions of ourselves. Let’s use our soft skills and work together to shape a positive AI future for all.
Gershon Goren is Founder + CEO of Cangrade.
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