When looking at small and large scale projects to integrate generative AI into corporate workflows, one common misconception is that tech talent is the key to success.
Whilst it is indeed true that you need highly skilled data and technology resources to drive a successful program, I think it is important to recognise the importance of other skillsets that are just as critical.
Focus On: How the humanities can unlock the power of GenAI for your business
Generative AI has enormous potential to boost creativity and productivity across industries and domains. It can help businesses generate novel ideas, products, and services, as well as improve customer and worker experiences, engagement, and satisfaction. It can also help businesses save time, money, and resources, by automating and streamlining tedious and repetitive tasks.
But how can businesses harness these new technologies effectively and responsibly? What skills do they need to thrive in the generative AI economy? And what role do the humanities play in shaping their future?
Human talent is the key to GenAI success
As with all business transformation initiatives, human talent is the key enabler and the key obstacle for success. This is true also when running projects to integrate generative AI. Today, there is a significant gap between the supply and demand of generative AI talent, which needs to be addressed urgently.
Contrary to common assumptions, the most in-demand skills for generative AI are not technical, but humanistic. Many colleagues and leaders I met over the past few months agreed in ranking problem-solving, adaptability, and critical thinking as the top three essential (yet lacking) skills for generative AI. They also emphasized the value of classics and the humanities for GenAI, as they provide a rich source of inspiration, context, and ethics.
This kind of talent can help businesses develop the skills and mindsets that enable them to leverage new technologies for positive impact, while avoiding the pitfalls of bias, misuse, and over-reliance. They can also help businesses cultivate their human creativity, curiosity, empathy, and imagination, which are the ultimate sources of innovation and value creation.
The opportunity for data and tech talent
So what’s happening to tech talent? As generative AI tools, such as GitHub Copilot, take over routine and mundane coding tasks, software developers will have the opportunity and time to master adjacent functional areas, ultimately building better applications.
For instance, a software engineer will be able to learn customer experience, as well as collaborate with other disciplines and domain. This will make them acutely aware of the opportunities and challenges presented by customer experiences, and inform their coding accordingly.
The bigger picture
On a broader level, what we are seeing with generative AI across fields is that the immediate advantage is represented by removing the need for a human to perform basic task. This is true for coding, as per the above example, but also for creative workflows. Think about Adobe Firefly, which effectively democratises access to creative production even to non creative talent allowing them to edit images, remove backgrounds, create new fonts and recolour assets without the need to raise a ticket to the creative team.
What’s next for corporate leaders?
I have a few actionable insights and recommendations for corporate leaders who want to leverage generative AI for their businesses:
Invest in human capital, as well as in technology, to capture the value of emerging technologies. Hire, train, and retain talent that has the right skills and mindsets. Look for people who have problem-solving, adaptability, and critical thinking skills, as well as a background or interest in classics and the humanities. The one skill to watch out for is being able to connect the dots across disciplines.
Cultivate a culture of creativity, curiosity, empathy, and imagination in your organization. Encourage your teams to explore new ideas, products, and services, using generative AI as a tool, not as the end. Foster a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment, where people can learn from each other and from different domains.
Evolve your software engineering practices and processes, as GenAI takes over more routine tasks. Upgrade your tools and methods, to make the most of GenAI capabilities and functionalities. Focus on customer and colleague experiences, as well as on data and security, when designing and developing your solutions.
Be responsible and ethical when managing data. Avoid bias, misuse, and over-reliance on generative AI outputs, and ensure that your solutions are trained on data pools that are aligned with your values and goals.
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That’s all for 2023! Chronicles of Change will be back in 2024 with more reflections on generative AI and its impact on enterprise business transformation. To keep up with the latest in generative AI and its relevance to your digital transformation programs, follow me on LinkedIn or subscribe to this newsletter.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in Chronicles of Change and on my social media accounts are my own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of S&P Global.