How to make your career AI-proof? The specialist gives six pieces of advice

1. Analyze your job responsibilities

Alex King, founder and managing director of AI talent recruitment company ExpandIQ, told Business Insider that he sees three categories of jobs: full automation, assisted and transformation.

Most people will fall into the “assisted” category, which means some of the responsibilities will be automated, but not all of them. So it's worth assessing the level of risk for your role.

King believes that employees should conduct an “audit” of their work. This involves reviewing the job description and creating a list of bullet points describing daily responsibilities.

“If your job is more predictable, you're much more likely to be automated by AI,” King says. – Whereas if it is based more on judgment or interpersonal relationships, you are slightly less at risk – he adds.

Housman, author of “Future Proof: Transform your Business with AI (or Get Left Behind),” says companies are “very quickly adopting” AI solutions in areas involving repetitive tasks that don't require a lot of cognitive effort or complex problem solving — like answering emails.

Read also: AI is slowly replacing electricians and plumbers. Robots are entering jobs that were supposed to be safe

2. Focus on the impact of your work

Job seekers often describe what they did but don't explain what impact it had, King points out. As professions change, the ability to communicate your value to employers will become increasingly importantespecially since companies want to measure employee contributions.

LinkedIn's director of engineering said that side projects can increase a candidate's chances of getting the job. During job interviews, it's a good idea to show something you've built, whether it's products you've worked on or a project repository on GitHub.

3. Develop your AI skills

With many jobs moving toward “augmentation” rather than outright replacement, developing AI competencies could be the difference between keeping your job or losing out to someone who knows the technology better.

Accenture's CEO announced in September that the company would be laying off employees who cannot be retrained for the AI ​​era.

John Morgan, president of career transformation, mobility and leadership development at LHH, says that employees should not only acquire basic knowledge about AI, but also “go deeper into it”.

“You can do any job, but you will have some kind of assistant to help you with your work,” Morgan points out, adding that the better you know AI, the better position you will be in.

King warns that many companies are not yet training employees in AI, so it's worth taking the initiative. He says there are many free sources for learning the basics of AI. One employee who moved into an AI role mentioned that he developed his skills by watching YouTube videos.

4. Develop soft skills

As AI increasingly automates tasks, King said employees need to “double down” on soft skills. This approach has been emphasized by many business leaders, from IBM's chief scientist to Cisco's chief innovation officer.

— People with soft skills related to self-awareness and emotional intelligence will do well in the future because AI obviously can't do this – explains King.

LHH's Morgan added that critical thinking has always been important, but today it is crucial in creating AI strategies and delivering value to companies.

“The ability to ask the right questions is becoming more and more important,” says Morgan, adding that this will set candidates apart in the job market.

5. Take it to the next level

Now, as AI takes over more and more basic tasks, many employers expect employees to perform at a higher level. EY's AI leader told Business Insider that Nowadays, entry-level employees are expected to have managerial competences on their first day of work.

Michael Anton, co-founder and CEO of AI startup Huper, explains to Business Insider that all employees have effectively been “promoted” thanks to AI — and should start behaving like one.

“Everyone has moved up one level, and if you focus on that, you'll be much more successful,” says Anton, who runs an AI-powered organizational intelligence platform that provides leaders with a digital chief of staff.

He adds that individual specialists should model the behavior of managers, and managers should develop the competences of leaders to a higher level.

Instead of spending time on tedious tasks, employees are increasingly required to focus on strategy and tasks that require critical thinking.

6. Consider entrepreneurship

Housman suggests that entrepreneurship can give some people greater mobility, flexibility and better earnings. Additionally, the entry barrier has lowered thanks to new technologies.

“There will be many entrepreneurs who will be able to create completely new companies from scratch using agent tools,” Housman predicts.

The AI ​​expert believes that employees should learn the “cutting-edge” tools in their industry and look for opportunities to create their own business.

As an example, he cites cooperation with a social media manager who started experimenting with tools for generating images from text, and eventually moved to animation, where he at least doubled his earnings.

— I would start thinking, “how can I play with these tools? How can I solve problems with AI?” says Housman.

The above text is a translation from American edition of Business Insider