Darija Korkut, Effectus: Science collects data much faster than society collects wisdom

We do not have to fear that artificial intelligence will take our jobs and that we will have to think about new employment overnight, but we have already had to start thinking about improving existing skills and mastering new ones. Very likely, jobs based on programmed decisions, repetitive and routine activities that do not require any analysis and judgment will become extinct first, but many new professions will also emerge, says Darija Korkut, M.A. in English, senior lecturer at Effectus College and head of the Research and Development Center, with whom we discussed the professions of the future.

What professions are currently resistant and which digitalization, artificial intelligence, energy transition, or even some new crisis cannot threaten?

– ChatGPT has obviously raised a lot of dust lately since its appearance, both in official business, educational, and public-political circles, as well as among the general public. This, of course, forces us to think specifically about it, but also about artificial intelligence in a broader context. Technology is developing faster than human evolution can keep up. I could paraphrase Isaac Asimov here, who said that the saddest aspect of life today is that science collects data much faster than society collects wisdom.

It should be emphasized that artificial intelligence did not develop suddenly, overnight, and that we have long witnessed its impact on our lives. Therefore, I do not think that it will suddenly take our jobs and that we will have to pack our things overnight and think about new employment, but we have all certainly had to start thinking about improving existing and mastering new skills to adapt more easily to the labor market, which is constantly and rapidly changing. Also, there is no need to fear because the application of artificial intelligence opens up many new jobs and employment opportunities.

Should we be afraid of artificial intelligence? Some jobs will disappear; what will happen to people whose jobs are taken by artificial intelligence?

– From the perspective of someone for whom education, creativity, critical thinking, and behavioral economics are in focus, I can say that all of the above can help in adaptation. We should not be afraid of anything if we prepare well. It is necessary to become well acquainted with technology and develop skills that allow us flexibility. Here, imagination, divergent thinking, and the ability to creatively solve problems will primarily help us.

Many professions have disappeared throughout history, replaced by new ones or not. Today, it is different in that we are bombarded with a lot of information that we do not know and are cognitively unable to process. In addition to developing critical thinking, we need to be able to critically ignore the excess information that we do not understand and do not need. Furthermore, education should be a motor that unites and drives all these parts and changes.

What jobs can we expect in the next decade?

– Recently, Fortune published an article stating that the future of jobs is not ‘pedigree’ but skills. The key phrases are skills-based hiring and skills-based approach to education for the purpose of internal employee mobility. And the key is not just in the development of digital skills. The key is skills such as creative and critical thinking, complex problem solving and decision-making, active learning, emotional intelligence, and these are the skills that are most sought after and hardest to find among potential employees.

The fact that we have more and more students and fewer experts, not only in Croatia but globally, indicates that it is necessary to change the approach to education, which has functioned according to the same principle for two hundred years with minor changes, emphasizing self-directed, active learning and skill development – lifelong. Neither intelligence nor strength will help us, but flexibility and the ability to adapt, cognitively and otherwise.

Content created in collaboration with Effectus College