Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order for the “American AI Initiative,” to guide AI developments and investments in the following areas: research and development, ethical standards, automation, and international outreach. This initiative is indicative of the changing times, and how, as a country, the U.S. is learning to navigate the implications of AI. Leaders in the business world, specifically, are faced with the responsibility of equipping our employees with the skills necessary for paving long-lasting career paths, and the workforce must discover what will be expected as technology continues to disrupt the norm, and work as we know it.
To Prepare for Automation, Stay Curious and Don’t Stop Learning
For the American workforce to thrive throughout the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there are some key things that need to happen. The U.S. will need to invest in new avenues of education and adopt a commitment to approaching education flexibly. As a country, we’ll need to embrace a culture of continuous and life-long learning. And executives will need to be better about “walking the walk” when it comes to reskilling existing employees whose current roles are destined to change. Education, from traditional four-year colleges, to technical trainings, to reskilling, will need to be as fluid as the roles students are preparing for. Executives will need to continue to have important conversations about the various ways to educate the workforce, including establishing opportunities for vocational training and prioritizing reskilling initiatives built on a genuine culture of curiosity. And American workers will need to take the initiative to teach themselves about the technologies that will continue to define the future of work.