AI won’t take everyone’s jobs. These competencies will be worth their weight in gold

Artificial intelligence has already become a permanent presence in Polish companies. However, it still raises concerns among entrepreneurs and employees. I talk to Prof. about who in the company is ethically responsible for AI, what employers can expect from employees in the Chata GPT era and whether a university diploma is still important. Joanna Smól from the Institute of Polish Philology, Adam Mickiewicz University, who studies narratives about artificial intelligence in digital media.

Beata Anna Święcicka “WPROST”: Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in the activities of many companies. So who is morally responsible for decisions made with AI support?

Prof. Joanna Smól, Adam Mickiewicz University: Artificial intelligence itself cannot be assessed in moral terms, because it is only a technological tool that does not have consciousness, its own intentions or the ability to distinguish good from evil.

Responsibility therefore always rests with people. Those who design, implement and use it, both in their private and professional lives.

That is why transparency is so important, enabling the identification of people responsible for decisions made using AI. This is what is most often requested by participants in the online discussions I analyze. Customers want to know whether they are dealing with content generated by artificial intelligence, who is responsible for information processing processes and whether their personal data is adequately protected. Therefore, companies should clearly communicate the scope and method of using AI systems. Transparency is not just a matter of good will – it is the foundation of trust.

So we need not only new technologies, but also new ethical standards in building relationships with customers?

Definitely yes. To date, ethical debates surrounding artificial intelligence have focused primarily on concerns about the potential for AI systems to gain excessive autonomy. However, it is equally important to shift the focus from the technology itself to its users.

The online discussions I analyzed show that Internet users notice frequent abuses related to the use of artificial intelligence and criticize fraud and privacy violations.

This is proof that society is not a passive recipient of new technologies, and acceptance of the use of AI is not unconditional. Users actively set and negotiate the boundaries of what they consider acceptable.

This does not mean, of course, that social debate can replace legal regulations. We need both appropriate regulations and broad reflection on how to use artificial intelligence responsibly and with respect for ethical values. The conclusions drawn from such discussions should be of interest not only to legislators, but also to people managing organizations and responsible for implementing new technologies. In the long run, those companies that manage to combine innovation with responsibility will gain an advantage over their competitors.

What about education? Will diplomas and specialist knowledge lose their importance in the world of AI? Maybe the ability to write prompts is enough?

Of course, the ability to create effective prompts will be a valuable competence, but it will certainly not replace specialist knowledge. On the contrary, the more advanced AI-based technologies become, the more important experts who can critically assess the quality of the content they generate will be.

Systems such as ChatGPT can create texts, analyze data and propose various solutions. At the same time, they are not free from errors – they sometimes present false information, formulate inaccurate conclusions or generate answers that sound credible, although they are not confirmed in reality.

This is why the role of humans remains crucial. The expert is able to verify the obtained results, assess their substantive value, detect inaccuracies, and take responsibility for the final result. In the era of AI, the importance of specialist knowledge is not decreasing – on the contrary, it is becoming even more necessary.

So how should employers prepare for the Chat GPT era workforce?

A generation will soon enter the labor market for which the use of artificial intelligence will be as obvious as using the Internet or a computer for earlier generations. This poses new challenges for employers. It is crucial to invest in training and build employee awareness so that they can use AI tools responsibly and understand which practices are acceptable in a given workplace and which go beyond accepted standards.

Employees who can effectively use AI tools within the rules applicable in a given organization and, at the same time, have what technology cannot replace: specialized knowledge, creativity and responsibility will be particularly valued.

Competences related to interpersonal communication and the ability to make decisions in complex and ambiguous situations will also become increasingly important.

Is this a good time for humanities?

The era of artificial intelligence may turn out to be a surprisingly good time for humanities graduates.

The more processes taken over by algorithms, the greater the value of competences that are difficult to automate: understanding human emotions and motivations, resolving conflicts, noticing cultural nuances or predicting the social consequences of decisions made.

Today, companies need not only people who can create technologies, but also those who understand the people for whom they are created. In a world saturated with AI, valuable are not only specialists who write code, but also those who can deeply interpret human needs, build relationships and make new technologies meet social expectations.

Thank you for the interview.

BIO

Prof. Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Ph.D. Joanna Smól from the Institute of Polish Philology, Adam Mickiewicz University. Linguist, specialist in media communication, journalism and public relations, researching narratives about artificial intelligence in digital media.