Two thirds of professionals believe that AI will increase their skills

The recent rise of AI has raised many concerns about the possibility that AI will supplant workers. However, a new report shows that many professionals remain optimistic about the rise of AI.

The report “Generative AI & the Future of Professional Work” by Thomson Reuters interviewed 1,200 professionals about their thoughts and experiences in AI.

Of the professionals surveyed, 64% said they expected their professional skills to be “more prized” over the next five years. 24% of respondents believe that this positive change will occur in the next 18 months, while 40% believe that it will occur between 18 months and five years.

Thomson Reuters

Interpersonal skills, high-level analysis and thinking outside the box

Moreover, when asked how likely it is that AI will lead to the disappearance of their profession, as their skills are no longer in demand, 66% answer that they do not expect this change to occur.

The interviewees probably think that their skills will be increasingly in demand because, despite the advanced capabilities of AI, there are human attributes that AI will probably never be able to do as well as a human, such as interpersonal skills, high-level analysis and thinking outside the box.

When asked which aspects of AI professionals fear the most, the biggest fear is not job loss (19%), but rather the compromise of accuracy (25%).

Thomson Reuters

The need for human evaluation when using generative AI tools

The fear comes from the fact that people use AI, such as chat tools, to do research and take the results at face value, without realizing the inaccuracy of the results, which could spread false information.

“Clients will use AI for their own research, which could give them a false idea of what is at stake,” a lawyer pointed out in the report.

This fear highlights the need for human evaluation when using generative AI tools, as well as the need for additional safeguards in AI models in order to improve their accuracy and reliability.

The example of the lawyer

Finally, 68% of respondents indicated that they foresee an increase in work performed by people who do not have traditional qualifications.

Thomson Reuters

In addition, two thirds of those surveyed believe that AI will lead to the creation of new career paths. The report takes the example of the transfer of tasks from a lawyer or a chartered accountant to an employee with a professional license, such as a beginner professional who can take advantage of AI tools.