Essential Soft Skills You Will Need to Survive in a World with AI
Artificial intelligence is a potent tool that’s bound to infiltrate more and more of our daily lives. But, as business development professional Fahim Imam-Sadeque explains, many experts believe AI could eventually displace a large majority of jobs.
This thought is causing employees and educators alike to scramble. In this brave, strange, new world, what skills will people need to succeed?
Here are some soft skills that could help you survive in a world with ever-present AI.
Problem Solving
This might sound like a skill that doesn’t fit, considering AI was designed to solve problems that are too complex for humans to do on their own. However, AI doesn’t have the same ability as humans to solve complex problems in all cases.
People who develop problem-solving skills at a high level will help companies get through problems that aren’t yet fully defined. They can use the experience to work backward when creating a solution. And they can take into consideration outside influences and issues that might span across multiple industries.
Creativity
Creativity has long been a desired skill for employees across the world. However, creative people and “think outside the box” will stay ahead of the technology in an AI world.
You need to utilize a sense of randomness that AI can’t replicate to be creative. AI can crunch a lot of data, but it has difficulty improvising. This is where humans can use their creativity to stand out from the crowd.
Critical Thinking
Many professional scenarios require nuance and ambiguity — two skills that machines can’t excel at. One of the essential aspects of critical thinking is timing — when, where, and how to release a product, make an argument or cater a message to a particular audience.
People who can imagine new concepts and interpret the data that AI is crunching will be well-prepared for whatever is ahead.
Emotional Intelligence
AI lacks emotion, but humans certainly don’t. Those who can appropriately express their feelings while at the same time being aware of others’ feelings are more than likely to succeed.
You can express emotional intelligence by connecting with other people. This takes empathy, communication, and interest in other people.
Communication
Communication skills are already becoming increasingly important in the digital and remote-work age. When employees are no longer concentrated in a central office or a few main offices, those who have strong communication skills begin to shine.
With AI abound, it’s even more critical that people have more robust interpersonal communication — which is one of the hallmarks of being a human. This doesn’t just include the words you use but your body language and voice tone.
People must understand what message they want to convey and how they want to deliver it.
Leadership
AI can do amazing things, but only when intelligent humans tell it what to do. In other words, AI will only be as good as the leaders directing the show.
As Fahim Imam-Sadeque explains, leadership skills will be essential to direct AI on what to do and help develop solutions, create goals, and inspire others to succeed.
AI will be an ever-present part of the future, but humans aren’t going anywhere. So those who develop these soft skills are the ones who will not only survive but thrive.
About Fahim Imam-Sadeque
Fahim Imam-Sadeque is a business development professional with proven experience in the asset management industry. He has a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from the City University of London and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries. Fahim’s top skills include asset management, hedge funds, investment management, sales, and consultant & client relationship management.
