March 2024
NCATC Friends and Colleagues,
Automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and emotional intelligence (EI) – all have distinctive impacts on the future of work.
Imagine a future where artificial intelligence (AI) shapes not only the way we work, but also the way we build diverse and inclusive workplaces. From recruitment to training, AI is revolutionizing workforce development and challenging traditional notions of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Are you ready to explore the impact of AI on our evolving workforce?
We use AI every day invisibly when we search on Google or let Apple pick music for us, but few of us trust it to do much more than that. According to a recent study of attitudes toward AI, most don’t think AI is quite ready to take over.
When presented with scenarios that directly or indirectly affect them, Americans still trust humans over AI by a wide margin,” says a report by AI company Krista Software based on a survey of 1,000 American adults. “Americans aren’t yet willing to allow AI to make decisions or work tasks where the outcome will potentially affect them.”
One of the reasons for both the concern and—paradoxically—the lack of concern is a potential misunderstanding of the difference between automation and AI.
AI tries to imitate human (emotional) intelligence and reasoning, while automation simply uses a very direct rules-based approach to make decisions and act. The first is—somewhat like organic intelligence—subject to whims and errors and occasional outright delusion. The second does exactly the specific tasks it is programmed to do, every single time. The result is that while AI can make undesigned mistakes, automation makes mistakes only when its designers fail to consider all the possible circumstances their systems will encounter.
So trusting AI to do difficult, complex, and nuanced things without human oversight is likely to produce some good results—and increasingly good results over time as the AI improves. It’s likely that the impressive capabilities of automated production machines make some people overconfident in the capabilities of AI, as well.
In today's rapidly advancing world of technology, the intersection of emotional intelligence (EI) and artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important, especially in the realm of workforce development. While AI has the potential to greatly improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace, it also has the potential to perpetuate existing biases and inequalities. This is where EI comes in. By incorporating EI into the development and implementation of AI systems, we can ensure that they are designed and used in a way that promotes equity and inclusion in the workforce.
EI, or the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions, as well as the emotions of others, is crucial in creating a fair and inclusive workplace. When individuals are emotionally intelligent, they are better equipped to communicate effectively, build relationships, and collaborate with others. This can lead to a more positive and inclusive work environment, where all individuals feel valued and respected.
By integrating EI into the development of AI systems, we can hopefully mitigate these biases and promote equity and inclusion in the workforce. This can be done by including diverse perspectives in the development process and continuously monitoring and evaluating the AI system for any potential biases.
Additionally, EI can also play a crucial role in addressing the potential job displacement caused by AI. As AI continues to advance and automate certain tasks, it is important for individuals to develop skills that cannot be easily replicated by machines. EI, with its focus on empathy, communication, and adaptability, is a skill that is uniquely human and cannot be replaced by AI.
There’s no doubt that the advent of AI will transform jobs in every sector.
One example: Deere, the manufacturer of heavy machinery for farmers, has an AI-driven machine that finely targets fertilizers, weed killers and such that will no doubt save money for industrial farmers.
Over the past year, much of the conversation around AI in higher education has centered around generative AI, applications and search engines that can create text, images, or data based on prompts. The arrival of ChatGPT, a free chatbot that provides conversational answers to users’ questions, sent universities and faculty scrambling to understand how this new technology will affect teaching and learning. It also raised concerns that students might be using the new technology as a shortcut to write papers or complete other assignments.
But many higher education leaders are thinking beyond that. As AI becomes a part of everyday life in new, unpredictable ways, universities across Texas and the country are also starting to consider how to ensure faculty are keeping up with the new technology and students are ready to use it when they enter the workforce.
“This is a technology that’s clearly here to stay and advancing rapidly,” said Harrison Keller, commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the state agency that oversees colleges and universities in Texas. “Having institutions collaborate, share content [and] work with [the] industry so that the content really reflects the state of the art is really critical. It’s moving much faster than anyone anticipated.”
REMINDER: On March 28th NCATC is holding our Q1-24 – Quarterly Drop-In which focuses on one of the four Strategic Pillars of Success: Adult Education and Learning Opportunities / Access, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (ADEIB) – Promising Practices and Needs Discussion. REGISTER HERE
As always, we encourage you to stay regularly connected and up to date on all ATC, WFD, and CTE-related activities and guidance, via the weekly updated NCATC website, social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), and quarterly e-newsletters.
J. Craig McAtee
NCATC
CEO | Execute Director
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