Any student intent on impacting the world in the AI generation will need to have a firm grasp of Durable Human skills. It is the single most important area for the student to focus on.
Durable Human Skills are above normal human abilities that have been valuable across centuries and will remain valuable for decades to come. They cannot easily be replicated by AI since they rely on Consciousness, Emotion, Context and Lived experience.
In Part 1 of this series, we noted how Artificial Intelligence is transforming the work space and highlighted the need for Durable Human Skills. Let us delve deeper into them.
Critical Thinking and Complex Judgement. While AI is brilliant when it comes to finding patterns in data, it still struggles with ambiguity, nuance and trade-offs. Scenarios that involve weighing conflicting values like productivity Vs employee wellbeing, decision making with incomplete or contradictory data among others.
AI has the potential to generate more information, but humans will be needed to decide what is true, ethical or actionable.
How can it be developed? By engaging in debates with no clear right answer, read on opposing viewpoints over any issue as well as practising making decisions with incomplete information. What for example can you do when the data says X but your gut feeling roots for Y?
A wise parent can develop this in a child starting at a much younger age.
Emotional Intelligence and Empathy. AI as it is today has limitations. It may simulate empathy through text but cannot feel it. It cannot understand grief, joy, frustration, or the unspoken dynamics in a meeting. It has no understanding, no goals and no consciousness.
For jobs that involve care e.g Healthcare, teaching, counselling, negotiation and management, they will always demand genuine human connection. Trust is a noticeable currency and it is usually built through empathy, something that AI is short of.
Students need to learn how to be attentive. The current Generation of youths has a very low attention span and this has to change. Active listening by truly hearing someone without planning a response needs to be cultivated. Volunteer work, team sports and part time jobs especially in the hospitality sector are fantastic training grounds for reading individuals and managing relationships.
Creative Problem Solving. AI is largely reactive and remixes pre-existing data while humans are proactive. A human can imagine something that has never existed, connect unrelated fields like Chemistry, Biology and Architecture to invent an entirely new paradigm.
AI will definitely be needed to handle the execution of routine tasks as humans remain relevant when coming up with the next big product or service. Right now, Japan is working on constructing a Sky Ladder that will remove the need for utilizing rockets when venturing into space. AI may be utilized in the execution but the idea and plan is still human centered.
A student is encouraged to engage in cross-disciplinary learning. Imagine an Engineering or Architecture student taking on Fine Art classes; A history student studying computer coding. Innovation usually happens best at the intersection of fields.
Students should be encouraged to intentionally engage in unstructured boredom. This is the restless uncomfortable state of mind that occurs when a person has an open ended unscheduled time with no predefined tasks, adult guidance, or digital stimulation to consume their attention. It usually prompts the brain to move into active innovation. For those born before the era of Mobile Telephony, this is the state we used to refer to as just chilling and being easy especially while in solitude.
Adaptablity and Resilience (Learn, Unlearn & Relearn). Today’s student is likely to have 3 to 5 careers during his/her lifetime. Hence, the ability to adapt when an industry shifts will be very central towards survival. As a result, consider this a top skill to have. To use local Ugandan slang, an individual will need to be able to kuyiriba as opposed to being gumite career wise.
Why is there serious need for this skill? Things are changing very fast. The jobs being applied for today are likely to be non-existent in 10 years’ time. New jobs that we cannot even imagine right now will appear. Therefore, adaptable people are likely to see that change as an opportunity as opposed to a threat.
How does a student gain this skill? In this generation where many are raised like broilers, they need to intentionally start doing hard things. Spending time in solitude like travelling solo, learning a new language from scratch, taking on a class in a subject that has always given you a headache etc. By failing, they will be learning alot. Stumbling blocks will be viewed as data and not as defeat.
Effective Communication. While AI can generate grammatically perfect reports, it still struggles with persuasion, humor, timing and emotional resonance. Humans are wired for stories and not mere data recipients.
Anyone that can take complex AI generated analysis and turn it into a compelling narrative that inspires a team, sells to a client or rallies a community will be invaluable.
You can build this by practising how to explain complex ideas to a 5 year old child or 80 year old grandmother. Make efforts to engage in creative writing, give presentations at any opportunity as well as learn the art of active questioning.
Ethical Reasoning and Moral Courage. AI may easily make a decision on who gets a loan or job but a human is needed to audit the system for bias, fairness as well as any other unintended consequences.
AI has no moral compass and will always optimise for the goal it is given even if it is harmful. Humans are therefore needed to act as guardrails.
Students can gain this skill by engaging in debates around key ethical issues in society e.g the way PDM funds were assigned out to recipients. How can the process be made fairer with the use of AI?
At this juncture, it is becoming clearer that the question should no longer be What Should I specialise in? but more about What problem do I want to solve? (This is the question I have always posed to my children ever since their childhood)
If a student says they love being a doctor, they do not merely need biology and chemistry. They need empathy to deal with patients, critical thinking for diagnosis and adaptability to deal with medical AI or any other innovations.
The one that loves business doesn’t just need money but story telling in order to sell ideas, ethical reasoning to build sustainable companies, and creativity to spot new markets.
The goal shouldn’t be to beat AI at its game but to do what AI cannot. AI is the engine, while the student is the driver and navigator that decides the destination.
In the next article, I will share a specific example of how durable skills can apply to a particular field of study. Feel free to leave a comment
James Wire
Agribusiness &Technology Consultant
X – @wirejames
The Wire Perspective 