How Workers Can Stay Relevant in the Age of AI, According to Renowned Future of Work Leader

Workplace visionary Dan Schawbel reminds employees to stay flexible and adaptable in the age of AI.

We know that AI is here to stay, but we don't yet know how to thrive in an AI-driven workplace. Dan Schawbel does, though. 

When we sat down with the New York Times bestselling author and managing partner of Workplace Intelligence, he started with how small and midsize businesses can up their competitive advantage by using AI–but the conversation didn't end there. 

Schawbel talked to us about traditional human skills that will continue to be in demand, what hard and soft skills employees will need in the age of AI, and most importantly the need to embrace lifelong learning and self-upskilling to stay relevant.

The time for workers to prepare is now

The job market is sending ambiguous signals. While businesses are scrambling to fill the skill gaps left by the Great Resignation, many companies are laying off workers because of a possible economic recession. And on top of this comes ChatGPT, the fastest-growing app of all time—reaching 100 million monthly users in just two months after launching^[1]—which, even as it drives worker efficiency and productivity, threatens to eliminate a fairly broad swath of existing jobs.

“Workers don’t have any time to lose. They have to start preparing for the disruption that is AI, right away.”

Dan Schawbel

Workplace futurist & bestselling author

Organizations are planning to implement generative AI. According to recent Gartner research^[2], 45% of organizations have seen an increase in AI investment since ChatGPT was released, and 68% of executives believe that the benefits of generative AI outweigh its risks.

“Discussions are starting now, because three to five years is not that far away,” says Schawbel. “We're going to see a lot of transformation happening very quickly.”

Data skills will make the difference

Small businesses that invest in AI will find that the technology is often best used to support human-centric tasks. Chief among the skills needed will be data literacy, including data analysis and interpretive know-how. Understanding machine learning and programming will be a huge advantage as well, Schawbel says. 

That’s because the companies that will win in the future will be the ones that have the most data and know how to harness and leverage that data for strategic decision-making. 

“The AI algorithms will take the data and create deliverables in the form of written content, or whatever the company needs,” says Schawbel. 

“But having humans capable of interacting with AI, asking questions, and using the results to make critical business decisions is going to be really important.”

Businesses will seek adaptable employees with soft skills

Schawbel remembers a study his company did in 2012, when the trait of adaptability “was pretty far down the list in terms of what companies were looking for when hiring and promoting.”

“But with the new ways of working, adaptability is going to move really high up on the list because things are changing much faster than we’ve ever seen—perhaps the fastest in human history. And a lot of people are having trouble keeping up.”

This adaptability will be about much more than adjusting to remote work or achieving work-life balance.

Schawbel believes that human soft skills such as the ability to communicate and relate to others by exhibiting emotion and telling relatable stories will be increasingly critical. 

“Obviously a robot is not human and lacks certain skills that a human could leverage for their own benefit alongside AI, like creativity, problem solving skills, the ability to communicate and relate to others.” 

Another attitude that today’s workers must possess is a wholehearted embracing of lifelong learning.

“This connects to adaptability but is more proactive in the sense that workers must constantly seek out new knowledge and new skills. Things are changing. They’re going to continue to change. If you’re worried about your job, that worry should inspire you to find out what you need to know to keep your job or get a new job in the future.”

Leave IQ to the machines

Because of the differences in capabilities between humans and machines, Schawbel believes that we should let the machines take care of the tasks that require IQ (traditional intelligence quotient skills, which focus on logic and predictive reasoning) while people focus on the jobs and processes that require EQ (emotional intelligence).

“Small businesses should ask themselves: ‘Do we really need people to do these administrative tasks, or do we move them to more high impact emotional, creative tasks that leverage their emotional intelligence?’” says Schawbel.

“The EQ component is going to continue to become more important. Although this has been a trend for a very long time, it’s now happening faster and people are taking it much more seriously.”

Stress the human voice in business communications

In his business, Schawbel uses ChatGPT to develop presentations and other content for social media because of its efficiency and how it streamlines the process. “It also is good for giving me key points that I might have missed in a presentation or newsletter article.” 

But he doesn’t just cut and paste what ChatGPT generates. It sometimes uses old data, and the voice isn’t aligned with his voice. 

“When you write articles or make content presentations, people are still looking for that human voice to connect with, to make sense of different topics, especially workplace related topics that have become extremely personal over the past few years,” says Schawbel. 

He believes that as ChatGPT continues to learn, it will be able to generate text using his voice and personality and particular writing techniques. In that case, “When it matches up to understanding my voice and the way in which I approach my work, I will no longer have to review it with a fine-tooth comb.”

Your employees need to see a path forward with AI 

The best way to assure scared employees is to shine a light on a path forward for them. Schawbel says: “Give them examples of ordinary workers who have used AI to create a new invention or advance in their career. Then they’ll begin to think, ‘If they can do it, so can I.’”

He’s starting to see businesses proactively investigating how AI will impact employee career development and creating new opportunities for workers who were perhaps displaced by AI.

“Wins are very important to communicate because it helps with storytelling that lay out what a possible future for them looks like,” he says.

It’s important to position this as a positive thing, not just for businesses “but also for individuals who need to see opportunities, not dead ends, when looking ahead,” says Schawbel.

"Workers today should be taking AI courses. They should be earning certifications. They should be practicing entering different prompts into ChatGPT. And if their employers won’t sponsor this, they should do it on their own dime. Then you’ll be positioned to advance in your current organization or seek opportunities elsewhere,” says Schawbel.

And, he adds, as AI grows, so will your career.