The internet is flooded with articles about what skills artificial intelligence (AI) will replace. And this is a valid point that we need to think of now so that we can better plan for the future. Whether you’re a university graduate, an employee, or an employer – this question has never been more important than it is today. This is why we at StorsenDigital are presenting a webinar on April 20 to help all stakeholders (particularly creative) better navigate, anticipate the future, and make better decisions. And the best part is that you are invited! To take a sneak peek at what you’ll find out during the webinar, keep reading below.

The classification of different types of skills

Everyone who has written a resume or applied for a job knows that employers are looking for certain skills to fit in with the culture of the work environment and to ensure that tasks are carried out skillfully. Whether you are a novice or a professional, you will most likely have heard of transferable/functional skills, personal traits/attributes, and knowledge-based skills. While the combination of these is what makes you attractive to employers, there is another, newer type of classification of skills that is worth considering. Here is a brief breakdown of it:

• Commodity skills: the first part of the new classification of skills is the commodity skills. But what does this mean? It means that you possess skills that employers already expect you to have but which one usually leaves off their resume. For example, it means sending emails, using Word, navigating the web, and more. 

• Marketable skills: on the other hand, we have marketable skills, which refer to skills that are acquired through formal education and certification. They are assisted by commodity skills but they are more advanced and enable you to carry out more complex tasks with more important implications for your organization.

• Niche skills: and finally, we have niche skills, which refer to your specialized knowledge and skills to carry out a set of tasks that few people can do in your place. 

What’s important to note from this brief discussion is that each of these skills is flexible. What is a commodity skill today can be a marketable skill tomorrow. And with the major technological shifts taking place, it is going to become increasingly common for people to start commoditizing their skills.  

In the near future, skills will become commodities

If you think about commodities as something tangible that can be bought and sold at a certain amount, the three skill sets mentioned above can and should increasingly be viewed as commodities. On the job market, prospective employees will gather and present their variety of skills to the prospective employer, who may offer to hire them based on the right fit with their organization in exchange for a sum of money. We need to start looking at skills as commodities and this is nowhere more evident than with creative jobs.

The current tech and AI landscape

Because AI is shifting so rapidly and making changes around the world in almost every sphere that we can think of, it’s natural to feel afraid of what the future may hold. Will our jobs be replaced by robots and virtual assistants who will not require payment for their services, produce fewer errors with more technical and mathematical problems, and who will be able to work 24/7 thereby increasing organizational productivity? While this may seem the case, and research supports this by indicating that around 18% of jobs in advanced economies will be affected by automation, this is not necessarily the case. 

The reason behind this is that AI and robots are created by humans for humans. However, they lack the creative thinking that all individuals possess. They can be fed data and analyze it to some extent, but they cannot think deeply or critically and replace us all. In particular, the creative industries are not going to be affected by AI to as deep an extent as initially predicted. 

What is a creative professional?

And speaking of the creative industries, you may be wondering what we are talking about. At this stage, you might be thinking of musicians, painters, and actors. However, the world of creativity is much wider than that.

Examples of creative jobs include writers, journalists, marketing managers, graphic designers, and more. Although AI can and probably will assist in making these individuals’ jobs easier to some extent, the chances are that it will never truly be able to fully take over.

The reason behind this? It’s because it is not yet possible to transfer individual creativity, different points of view and perspectives, as well as critical thinking in a machine that needs to be preprogrammed to behave in a certain way. 

The future of work and creative jobs

In summary, the future of work can seem like a daunting prospect because of the impacts of AI and automation in many spheres of life. However, if you are in the creative space and you are concerned, you should not worry. Instead of looking at AI as a foe, consider it a friend who can help you automate mundane tasks. Look at it as a way to help you improve your productivity without replacing your originality and thought processes. 

Consider it your buddy who will be able to generate ideas, which you can then develop further with your own creativity that no one else can replace. The beauty of being human is our originality, creativity, and uniqueness. This is something no machine will be able to replace or replicate. At least not for a long time yet. 

A webinar on the future of automation and work: And you’re invited!

Whether you are a university graduate about to enter the world of work, a current employee, an HR professional, an entrepreneur, or a decision-maker – it is only natural for you to be concerned about AI. However, with its inability to offer critical thinking and make difficult decisions or think creatively and originally, the chances of AI replacing people in the creative industry are slim. 

To find out more about where the road will take us and what the future holds, join us for an extremely interesting discussion where we’ve handpicked three exceptional speakers to share what the future of automation and work hold for everyone. Simply sign up by clicking here!