Learning Design: Renewed Understanding of The Core Workforce Skills in The Era of Artificial Intelligence

• In Event: ICT and Education (I)

Proposal

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), many jobs performed by humans are taken over or will be taken over by machines in the near future. At the same time, the AI industry is creating new jobs. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the robotics industry alone generates 170,000-190,000 jobs worldwide. So, whether living in the era of the Industrial Revolution or living in the era of AI, there will be jobs for the workforce if they are equipped with the appropriate knowledge and skills.

Based on an extensive review of the literature, this study examines the skills that become indispensable for individuals to remain competitive in the AI-infused world. The findings help shed light on the need for the reconstruction of core learning competencies in workforce education so that learners are prepared to thrive in the era of AI. The research findings indicate that the types of knowledge and skills that learners need to acquire are undergoing major changes and shifts, as reflected in the following three areas:

First, basic literacy is shifting in the era of AI. As more and more AI applications are integrated into everyday life and work, knowing some numbers and how to read and write will soon be no longer enough to secure someone a job. Literacy in the era of AI should include technological literacy, data literacy, and human literacy (Carlson & Kang, 2021). Technological literacy is to teach people how to operate machines. Data literacy is to make sure someone knows how to collect and analyze data and make appropriate decision. Among the three new literacy skills, human literacy is the one that is closest to the heart of traditional education – humanities. Human literacy assures that we live and work differently than those AI-supported machines because we inherit culture, language, history, tradition, religion, etc. Humanity literacy helps to define why we are human, both individually and collectively, and help us preserve and transmit cultural heritage and values.

Second, the skills required to enter and stay in AI-infused workforce are changing. In the era of AI, the focus of human work will shift to those that can’t be done by machines, which undoubtedly creates a demand for a different set of workforce skills. For example, increased automation will move linear and repetitive jobs to machines, increase the proportion of high-skilled jobs, and reduce proportionally low- and medium-skilled jobs. This change means most entry-level jobs in the era of AI will require a higher skill level and contain complex tasks that AI machines cannot do. According to the World Bank's 2019 world development report, "the sought-after trait is adaptability—the ability to respond to unexpected circumstances and to unlearn and relearn quickly. This trait requires a combination of certain cognitive skills (critical thinking, problem solving) and socio behavioral skills (curiosity, creativity)” (p.72). This means that the focus of AI-infused workforce skills is shifting from hard skills to soft skills and employers are more concerned about whether current employees (or potential new hires) have the practical, job-related skills or competencies needed to successfully perform a variety of work tasks.

Third, the thinking skills of adult learners are expanding in the era of AI. Although there is a loud concern that machines may someday replace human and some are already happening in today’s workforce (e.g., Amazon’s Spark and Tesla’s autopilot), it can be argued that machine will never be able to surpass human thinking. Having the ability to think is a fundamental ability that separate human beings from machines. Nowadays, neural network research-based deep learning is becoming the mainstream of AI. Although the basic idea behind deep learning remains to be simulating how human brain works, the progress that has been made and the breath of the problems that deep learning is able to address are already amazing. Intrigued by how these deep learning neural networks work, the way we think need to change to being able to control machines that have acquired deep-learning abilities. One of the key reasons that there is a loud concern that machines may replace human being is because many learning practices often focus on teaching convergent thinking skills - connecting a problem with one solution. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking is often the specialty of high-end computer systems or robots. In the era of AI, there is an urgent need for educators to tap into the latest science and technology discoveries to improve human thinking ability so that human beings can continue to control AI-infused machines regardless how “smart” machines can be. It can be argued that divergent thinking is becoming an important topic because it requires creativity—sensitivity to subtle changes in a problem, a tool that is rebuilt according to the needs of the environment, and ultimately the ability to produce a result or solution that does not exist where it started. This divergent thinking skill is difficult for high-end computers and robots to learn or self-teach. Therefore, it needs to be an important subject to teach in the future of workforce education.

In sum, in the era of AI, the changes and shifts in learning development in terms of literacy, new skills, and expanded thinking skills require educators to conduct in-depth assessments of current core learning curriculum. The focus should no longer be on seeing learning as a means of earning a living, but rather approaching learning as a dynamic demand for sustainable development in the era of AI.

Author

• Haijun Kang, Kansas State University