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AI tools that generate new tasks are replacing many of the tasks traditionally performed by entry-level workers learning their way at the beginning of a career. A human resources manager for a large tech company told a South by Southwest audience on Monday that this doesn’t mean these jobs will disappear. Nickle LaMoreaux is the chief human resources officer for IBM.
“I think we have to think differently about what those entry-level jobs are,”
Artificial Intelligence is a hot topic at SXSW in Austin, Texas this week. This includes conversations about accountability, creativity and trust, as well as the use of synthetic information. SXSW’s program gives a glimpse of the many ways that this technology could one day affect our lives.
AI is changing the way that we find jobs and how we get them. LaMoreaux said that companies will need to hire employees with different qualities, which are not found in machines.
AI for hiring managers?
LaMoreaux stated that many companies already use AI to screen resumes and filter job candidates. IBM does not. The decision will depend on whether the company is comfortable with using an AI tool for this purpose and if it fits their culture and goals. She said that the goal of using these tools is to reduce bias. However, sometimes they can reinforce or amplify it. IBM is a “skills-first” firm, she said. This means that they focus more on the technical skills a candidate has than where they came from. LaMoreaux is worried that an algorithm will reject candidates with non-traditional backgrounds who have the skills needed to perform the job.
AI will change the hiring process of your next job in a big way. It will affect the skills that the company looks for. The job itself will be changed.
“I actually think you’re going to see selection methodologies to try to get at this uniquely human part of talent acquisition,” LaMoreaux said.
You shouldn’t expect to be applying for jobs with your “digital twin” agent. These agents will be developed by your company to handle their work — and no one is going to let you leave with all that information to a rival or another business.
“If you left a job, it’s not going to go with you to the next job,” LaMoreaux said. “It will be fit for purpose for that role.”
Focusing on human skills
According to LinkedIn influencers, the hottest new job in the last few years has been a generative AI prompt engineering, a person with expertise in getting a AI model to produce optimal outputs. LaMoreaux, however, said that AI tools are becoming more user-friendly and prompt engineering is no longer as important as it used to be. She said.
In the future, workers will need to have domain expertise. They must be able to look at an AI model’s output and determine what works and what does not, what is correct and what’s incorrect. This domain expertise will help with decision making beyond what a computer can handle.
“With AI and generative AI, domain expertise becomes more important, not less important,” LaMoreaux said. She said that employers will be looking for the most important skills in the future: judgment and communication. This includes the ability to make a good decision and explain it clearly.
A new entry-level position
LaMoreaux believes AI tools can handle some of the more basic work, but not all. They will increase employee productivity by reducing lower-level tasks, but humans will be required to handle higher-level decision making. She said
“Think about it like email or mobile phones or the internet,” . How can workers learn the skills they need to perform at a high level if digital tools are taking over more of the work that was previously done by workers who were still learning their job and building up their experience?
Employers must rethink their role for workers who are just getting started, LaMoreaux said. These jobs must focus on developing the skills needed to do things that AI cannot, such as solving complex problems and making complex decisions.
“When I say AI is transforming all jobs, I’m talking about total work redesign,” She said. If employers don’t look closely at how they can change their entry-level positions to support employees’ development, it could lead to a situation where a whole generation of workers will not be able to acquire the skills needed to do the available jobs.
