AI skills training predictions from OReilly Media

In the year since OpenAI launched GPT-4, there's been no shortage of predictions about its impact on the workforce. An easy reply to all this fear is AI is not going to replace humans, but humans with AI are going to replace humans without AI. While this statement is true, this attitude also blames the victim: if you lose your job, it’s your own fault for not learning how to use AI.

Instead, companies need to honor their commitment to staff and prepare them for the future with education. That’s certainly true for technical employees, who will be developing applications that use AI systems through an API. It’s also true for non-technical employees, who may be trying to find insights from data in a spreadsheet or write text for a company report.

O’Reilly Media president Laura Baldwin, on GPT-4 anniversary and essential skills training

Another aspect of training will be verifying that the output of an AI system is correct. AI will make mistakes and employees will need to know how to check its output without being deceived by its overconfident voice. This process requires scrutinizing every fact and every logical inference, even the most obvious. There is a methodology that needs to be taught, and it’s the employers’ responsibility to ensure that their employees have appropriate training to detect and correct errors.

Above all, the responsibility for education isn’t limited to training employees to use AI within their current positions. Companies need to provide education that enables employees to shift from jobs that are disappearing to jobs that are growing - from customer service personnel being retrained to test and verify that AI systems are working correctly, to accountants becoming auditors responsible for overseeing IT security. This year, it’s critical that businesses invest in training to support these career transitions.