Recap: NYC Breakfast Event - Talent Leader’s Dilemma: Impact of Skills & AI on the Future of Work

In April, Elliott Scott HR and Cappfinity hosted a highly engaging breakfast event in New York City, titled "Talent Leader’s Dilemma: Impact of Skills & AI on the Future of Work." This event brought together a fantastic panel of experts, including Brett Underhill, J. Seldric Blocker, MHR, PHR, and Sidd Shenoy, PhD, FIET, to discuss the evolving landscape of AI and its impact on the workforce.

Key Takeaways from the Discussion

1. AI is Only as Good as it’s Data – Do Your Due Diligence: Our panel emphasized the importance of the data used to train AI models. Ensuring high-quality data is crucial for obtaining reliable and effective AI outputs. The adage "quality in, quality out" holds true, underscoring the need for rigorous data validation and due diligence.
2. AI Complements Human Skills: Rather than replacing human roles, AI serves to enhance human decision-making and capabilities. It can streamline various processes, allowing HR professionals to focus on more strategic tasks. AI's role is to augment human skills, not to replace them.
3. Critical Skills to Navigate AI: As AI becomes more prevalent in the workplace, certain skills become essential. These include problem-solving, collaboration, curiosity, patience, critical thinking, and personal responsibility. Developing these skills will enable professionals to better leverage AI technologies.
4. Mitigate Risks with a Strategic Approach: Implementing AI requires a clear and strategic approach. Organizations must identify which aspects of AI they are willing to pilot and understand the associated risks. A well-defined strategy helps mitigate potential pitfalls and maximizes the benefits of AI integration.
5. Centaur vs. Cyborg Approaches: Two distinct approaches to AI integration were discussed: the Centaur approach, which assigns specific tasks to AI, and the Cyborg approach, which involves deeper integration of AI with human roles. Viewing AI as a co-worker rather than a replacement fosters a collaborative environment and maximizes the strengths of both AI and human capabilities.

Looking Ahead

Special thanks to Nicky Garcea, Ilona Jurkiewicz, and the Cappfinity team for making this event possible. Their support and collaboration were instrumental in its success. We are excited to announce that more events like this are planned for the future as we continue our partnership with Cappfinity.

Get Involved

AI is transforming the way we work, but human judgment, soft skills, and a personal touch will always remain vital. Let’s embrace AI while retaining our ability to think critically and maintain control. 

If you are interested in learning more or would like to participate in future events, please reach out to us via LinkedIn at Roshan Jayawardena or Shagun Sharma or on rj@elliottscotthr.com or ss@elliottscotthr.com. 

We look forward to more engaging conversations on the future of work!