Beyond the apocalyptic prophecies that are woven about the future of certain jobs, the imminent advance of AI, and especially generative AI, will demand trained professionals who take advantage of this technology. Get to know the profiles that are beginning to carry out this new industrial revolution.
“Students, through Copilot, our platform with artificial intelligence (AI), ask a question. For example, “how would parental separation affect the development of self-esteem in a child?” Based on the answer(s) that this technology gives us, we generate a debate among students.” This is how Sandra del Rosario Carrasco, educational psychologist and director of the Palestine School (Santiago de Chile), describes the work that this institution does so that its young students become familiar with AI.
This is possible thanks to its alliance with Boost Education, a company that operates in Miami integrating specialized artificial intelligence to learning in educational organizations and companies. “Children should already be learning to use AI since it will be a technology that will be present at school, in universities, in their daily lives and, of course, it will be a skill required in working world,” warns Edmundo. Barrientos, creator of Boost.
FROM THREAT TO ALLY
Since its emergence in 2022, and as it just happened with automation in the past, various prophecies have been woven about how AI will become a sword of Damocles that hangs over the jobs of millions of people globally. For example, according to Microsoft's 2023 annual workforce trends report based on surveys of workers in 31 countries, 49% of participants expressed fear that artificial intelligence could replace the human workforce.
This concern, however, is contrasted with an interesting paradox. At the same time, 70% of those surveyed stated that they would be willing to delegate as many tasks as possible to technology, if this would lead to a reduction in their workload. “Executives in Latin America may encounter several challenges when it comes to taking advantage of the benefits of AI, especially generative, and adopting them in their local contexts. It is important to have access to resources to occupy the GenAI and adequate education and training is also necessary to use these types of tools. The government and academic institutions must update themselves first to install GenAI training and awareness programs. Linguistic and cultural barriers can also be a challenge, given that most of the concepts are in English,” says Mathilde Cordier-Hüni, manager of Experis Chile .
Randstad's Talent Trends 2023 report says that “profiles with the ability to adapt and digital skills will be the most in demand.” The report also highlights that "the new concept of talent amongst companies will be entirely related to digitalization and the incorporation of technology into business processes."
Faced with this new context, companies have launched a search for digital profiles to cover their technological deficits. According to a ranking published by US technology magazine CIO, the five most sought after today are: artificial intelligence architect, cybersecurity professionals, cloud architect, data specialist, and web developer. “Critical thinking, problem solving, analytical skills, teamwork, initiative or curiosity, along with good leadership, are the traits that companies look for in these new professionals who are on the rise today,” the magazine points out.
Broadly speaking, the careers of the future will require a combination of technical skills, creativity and adaptability to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven world. “Some of the careers that are emerging as essential in the near future are specialists in artificial intelligence. Professionals who will design, develop and optimize AI systems for various applications, from chatbots to data analysis. And AI ethics experts will be able to guarantee that the technology is used responsibly and fairly,” anticipates Daniela Melo, head of IT Recruitment at Robert Walters Chile .
Digital transformation specialists are other profiles that would continue to be amongst the most coveted, as they are professionals capable to lead the transition towards digital business models by implementing emerging technologies. Likewise, language model developers, capable of creating advanced linguistic models, machine translation and sentiment analysis.
Access the PDF of the Data & AI Special from the March edition of AméricaEconomía here.
AI TALENT HUNTING
Today, the use of artificial intelligence in companies is already having an effect on the labor market. It is generating new jobs and impacting existing ones. An impact that transcends the IT area.
When technology permeates industries, all management and production has a technological component. The areas of project, evaluation, risk, logistics, compliance, auditing, data collection and processing are some where AI is already present and requires management so that human talent is able to interact with it and obtain the best results. “The great challenge for companies and workers is how to adapt to this situation, since opportunities arise where professionals with new skills and an adaptation of those who are already in the market are required,” Caio Arnaes, associate director of Robert Half Chile, assures AméricaEconomía.
In the specific case of human resources, for example, technology can help saving resources on recurring tasks, such as managing payroll or vacations. But it is also key when identifying or selecting the best candidate for a position. “Before, a client explained to me what professional profile he was looking for. Then, I would go into the database and read hundreds of CVs, trying to find the most suitable one. Today, my AI system can detect that information in seconds, crossing it with the information base in the cloud,” says Murilo Arruda, founder & CEO of the HR tech MyDNA .
Still, it is essential to understand that technology cannot completely replace people at the workplace. “We have a study that found that 74% of companies consider human intervention to be essential. This highlights the importance of recognizing the unique value that people bring to the recruitment process and talent management,” emphasizes Sara Macia, head of IT Recruitment at Robert Walters México .
As times goes by, the supposed widespread displacement of humans in favor of technology will begin to dissipate. “By 2030, only 15% of jobs could be fully automated by artificial intelligence and robotic automation. Today, GenAI is being seen more as a tool to enhance functions in the workplace, rather than a rival to compete against,” adds Macia.
Along these lines, it is expected that 40% of executives will have to “retrain” professionally in the coming years to remain attractive to companies. “Every CEO and every company must consider how AI can change their business model, how it can give them an advantage and how it could put them at risk,” says Arruda.
The argument is that no one will lose their job because of AI. The jobs that could be lost will, in reality, be lost to those who have adapted to the use of artificial intelligence. “I think this explains well what the world is like today, where AI is going to change the work of many people, giving many opportunities to those who are already studying and moving to seek knowledge in the area,” says Arruda.
From Robert Half they see that, for example, engineers in various latitudes -- known as 'prompt engineers' -- are already required to program what an AI should do. “Professionals linked to ethics [in AI] are also emerging and will be key players in a labor market that increasingly uses this technology,” says Arnaes.
BANISH FEARS
Mónica Talán, founder of Cripto Conexión and Tech Translators.ai, a Mexican-born based in the United States, has been giving workshops at universities and companies for a few years to teach how to understand artificial intelligence. “What I see in each of my conversations is that people are still very afraid of it. There are many people who say 'I don't want AI to replace me' or 'if I use artificial intelligence I won't be authentic'. There are many things we still have to work on so that people see the benefits and are not left behind,” Talán emphasizes.
“The other perceived fear is that of companies being excluded if they do not use artificial intelligence. But, at the same time, they cannot [adopt it] because they believe it is too expensive,” adds the executive. In his courses for entrepreneurs, Talán teaches the basics: from what AI is and what the best use case is for them to some ways they can start experimenting, showing them some of the tools that exist. “We also advise companies so that they aspire to have a center of excellence to implement artificial intelligence […] with representation of all their teams and define what tools they need,” details the communications professional.
One of the main advances that Talán sees from her teachings is that entrepreneurs seek to meet with their technology team and ask what AI they have access to at present. “Many companies already have access to tools and don't know it. So, your best ally is your technology staff. Instead of just talking to them to tell them that your email is not working, brainstorm with them and see what can happen,” she advises.
The truth is that, although it appears to be on the right track due to the interest it generates, incorporating AI will be a challenge that will fore firms to redouble their efforts to attract and retain talent for very new positions and functions. They do not have a completely defined profile, warns Arnaes, from Robert Half. “It will be necessary to offer them the conditions so that they remain linked to the teams to which they belong. On the other hand, many companies will find it necessary to find professionals capable of taking them to the next level and will make every effort within their reach to achieve this. The labor market will be very active in that sense,” concludes Arnaes.
