Why Upskilling in AI has Become a Necessity

Companies around the world are today launching initiatives for upskilling in AI for their workforce. We are increasingly hearing the phrase ‘AI is the future’, and how tech giants around the world are making heavy investments in Artificial Intelligence. The fact that AI will be capable of completing several tasks in the future that need human effort today must be enough to make professionals upskill themselves with the changing times. However, there is a reason why companies are themselves investing on upskilling in AI for their employees despite the massively incurring costs. Let us look at the major reasons why upskilling in AI has become an absolute must. 

Why Upskilling in AI is a necessity 

Setting the base for future 

The transition process towards any future technology happens in phases. It is impossible for any course to make any professional a complete expert on Artificial Intelligence, as tech giants have themselves only begun scratching the surface of AI’s potential. However, upskilling in AI will give employees of an organisation a basic exposure to this futuristic technology. They will learn how AI can be used for various purposes, which will elevate their skills with this knowledge. Upskilling programs will help them not just understand AI as a whole, but also make them see how this technology can be fused with their job and make their performance more productive.  

Upskilling in AI will lay the foundations of having a large workforce with the skills to operate the technology and make the best use of it. Doing so will make a vital impact in shaping an organisation and the way it evolves with the passing of time.   

Understaffing and unemployment due to lack of skills 

AI is going to unlock many possibilities in the future; which means that while it will replace many people’s jobs, companies will be in dire need of employees skilled in AI. Companies are making big investments in upskilling in AI because they are well aware of the future consequences if they fail to do so. Not only will it put unskilled people out of employment, but it will also create a big vacancy in companies, especially tech companies, due to lack of availability professionals capable enough to meet the AI-related job requirements.  

At a time when the world is already facing the threat of recession, we cannot afford to have a situation where companies are understaffed due to lack of skills, which will also increase unemployment at the same time. There should hence be no delay or inaction in upskilling in AI in any workforce.  

Dependency on AI 

Basic non-labour work that does not require human intelligence will be indefinitely taken over by AI. This means AI will be conducting many day-to-day activities for human use in the future that will save a lot of time and effort. But despite the basic nature of the work, humans will still be highly dependent on Artificial Intelligence for several day-to-day tasks. This would nearly finish the scope of job opportunities that do not require any special skills, thereby making upskilling in AI an absolute necessity. Tech giants are hence taking no chances and investing heavily on upskilling programs. 

However, it will be challenging for all fields to understand AI’s potential in enhancing work productivity and till what extent it should be used. Several credible names like Elon Musk and the ‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton have already warned against the dangers of AI, stating that it could lead to a misinformation crisis if it is developed too quickly without the necessary regulations. Companies should hence make sure to not hurry in the transition towards AI, but diligently conduct these upskilling programs.  

Saving time and rebalancing efforts 

One of the most important responsibilities of a company leadership is to understand where their employees’ efforts are best focused on and redirecting them towards that direction. AI promises to save a lot of human hours and efforts, be it basic research and other tasks that do not require human intelligence. The reason why upskilling in AI is extremely important in this regard is that it will help the employees and the management to figure out where human time and efforts need to be redirected to. But it won’t be possible unless all employees try their hand with the AI technology. 

The arrival of AI will increase the value of human time and effort, just like the internet did when people around the world started getting access to it. Upskilling in AI will make it mandatary to make everyone upgrade their skills in the near future, which will ultimately help people find quality jobs that will offer better pay and wider opportunities. However, this can only happen if companies around the world do not miss out on this upgradation cycle and provide the best available AI courses for their workforce.