In the midst of the AI revolution, we find ourselves caught between the threats and opportunities of its disruption. While economists and industry experts may be divided as to whether AI represents just another step in technical progress or unprecedented transformational change, its impact stretches across the economy, society and industry.

In a recent report from the Kingston AI Group, Australia’s AI Imperative: The economic impact of artificial intelligence and what’s needed to further its growth, it was reported that greater utilisation of AI in key Australian industries will lead to a short-term boost in GDP of more than $200 billion per year and the creation of an additional 150,000 jobs from 2023 to 2030.

However, maximising the opportunities created by the AI revolution to ensure that all Australians can participate and benefit from a transformed global workforce will require a deliberate and concerted approach from both industry and government.

In this Future Led discussion, our panel tackled the big questions arising from the AI revolution and its impact on skills for our global workforce, covering regulation in Australia and issues concerning data collection and privacy, the myth that AI is stealing our jobs, and which skills we need to thrive in an AI-driven world.

Our speakers included:

Katie Williams, Senior Lecturer at The University of Queensland
Lara Cresser, Partner at Gadens 
Melissa Crossman, Advisor at Cryptoloc
Ray O'Sullivan, Partner at Liquid 
Scott Millar, CEO and Founder of BOP Industries (Moderator)

Operating in the grey
A common theme for this panel was that disruption shouldn’t be seen as a threat but as an opportunity to be seized, with our speakers emphasising that AI in this context is no different. While governments and businesses face the peril of inaction, caught between the perceived risk of AI and the productivity it promises, the cost of remaining stagnant far outweighs the risks of embracing change in an ethical and responsible way.

With highly specialised expertise in online intermediary advice, defamation, competition and consumer law and intellectual property infringement, Lara spends a lot of time operating in the grey and helping multi-national businesses navigate the Australian online legal and regulatory landscape.

“Every time there’s a shift in technology, it takes an incredibly long time for the government and the law to adapt. But during that time businesses still have real questions. They don’t have clear parameters in which to work and they’re trying to understand – if the law doesn’t exist yet, what do we need to be doing?”

“Australian privacy laws, for example are woefully behind the rest of the world, particularly Europe. It’s a fraught question in Australia, and the companies who operate in this area have been crying out for guidance, but our laws don’t tell them what they need to do.”

Governments and businesses may be grappling with the pace of technological change and their obligations in terms of privacy, data and the misuse of personal information, but the buck doesn’t stop with them alone.

Scott highlighted the startling statistic that in April 2024 there were 5.44 billion internet users around the world, accounting for 62% of our global population, with the average internet user spending over 6 hours per day online – all the while, generating data.

He asked the question so many of us have in relation to our personal data. “For so many people, we battle every day with whether we should be sharing our data. Is this a scenario where these app companies will be collecting our data regardless, so we should just let them have it, or should we be frequently auditing the data we share?”

An expert in cybersecurity, Mel said that when it comes to data collection and privacy, it is the service providers who need to be held accountable. While digital literacy and education for everyday users has a part to play, there’s a lack of transparency about the volume of data being collected and it’s beyond the capability of an individual to control what personal information they share.

“You drive a car every day, and while you don't have to understand how a combustion engine works, you do have to understand how to drive it safely, for your safety and for others. That’s a good comparison to where we need to get to in the cybersecurity space. The products we use every day should have security baked into them, but we’re not holding service providers accountable to that. We’re letting them use and abuse our personal information,” Mel said.

Dispelling the myth that AI is doing us out of our jobs
Rapid technological change is transforming the way we live, work and learn. As a Partner at Liquid, Ray’s strength is understanding how to connect disruptive innovation with growth to create better outcomes. Discussing the impact of changing job types and functions in the AI era, Ray highlighted the importance of upskilling and the growing trend in higher education towards stackable, micro-credential programs.

“AI isn't merely threatening to steal jobs; it's already displacing them. However, the real myth lies in the assumption that AI won't create new opportunities for those equipped with the right skills and knowledge.

“With the adoption of AI, specifically generative AI, we need to begin to develop a new toolkit, one that we perhaps haven't necessarily focused on, or needed, in previous generations. One that heroes critical thinking, creative thinking, curiosity, and a base level of understanding of data and language models.”

The Australian Government’s National Skills Passport will be a key vehicle to drive connection between skills attainment and value to employers, providing the foundational capabilities for industry to better address the immediate needs of employees alongside the lifelong learning necessary to adapt to the rapidly changing demands of the global workforce.

“The greater challenge will be in leveraging those skills. AI will play its part. It will have a positive impact, but equally a disruptive one. The wider education and understanding of that dynamic is really important,” Ray said.

Skills we should be investing in
In her work designing courses for the UQ Business School and teaching into the MBA program, Katie has seen first-hand how institutions are adapting to keep up with the skills needed to stay competitive in the workforce of the future.

An increased focus on work-integrated learning and industry partnerships, and ongoing consultation with industry experts to help shape the curriculum, has ensured UQ is designing cutting edge courses for a new generation of learning.

When thinking about AI skills and capability needed for the workforce today, Katie said that in her view, it’s a tiered model. “It’s all based on the AI capabilities for the role in which you perform. At the foundational level, it’s more about digital savviness and understanding what AI is and how it can be used, right up to the data scientist level where you need to have technical deep-dive coding and algorithm development skill sets.

“It’s being able to understand what the pyramid of learning looks like and finding the training solution that best fits the individual and the organisation.”

In the final moment of the panel, we invited our speakers to recommend one skill they believe is crucial for individuals to be investing in now to ensure they’re competitive in the workforce in the next 10 years.

For Katie, it was in data governance and understanding the quality of the data individuals and businesses are working with. Mel said it was embracing lifelong learning and pushing the boundaries to explore new ideas. Ray focused on developing critical thinking skills, pointed at positivity, creativity and innovation. And for Lara, working in an area of law where there isn’t rich precedent and statute to grasp and inform answers, learning how to think creatively and answer a question when there’s nothing to work from was key.

The panel agreed that building soft skills in communication, connection and collaboration would be critical for the workforce of the future, and emphasised that rich is the opportunity as AI continues to grow and flourish in Australia and globally.

We’re grateful for the time and expertise our speakers dedicated to this Future Led event and thank Katie Williams, Senior Lecturer at The University of Queensland; Lara Cresser, Partner at Gadens; Melissa Crossman, Advisor at Cryptoloc; Ray O'Sullivan, Partner at Liquid; and Scott Millar, CEO and Founder of BOP Industries. This Future Led was delivered in collaboration with our friends at Something Digital.

Exploring our best working future: Critical skills to thrive in an AI-driven world

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