“There will come a point where no job is needed – you can have a job if you want one for personal satisfaction, but AI will do everything.”

That was Elon Musk talking to PM Rishi Sunak at the AI Summit earlier this month, giving his assessment of the impact of AI on the jobs market. There’s no denying AI and machine learning will likely turn the global jobs market upside down. However, new research from Universities UK paints a much more optimistic picture.

The future jobs market needs more critical and creative thinkers

Their new report ‘Jobs of the future’ says it’s good news for grads. Specifically, those astute critical and creative thinkers.

According to analysis of the data, the UK jobs market will need more than 11 million graduates to fill vacancies in the UK by 2035, across industries like computing and engineering, teaching and education, and health.

The report also got the views from the ground of 100 senior leaders and talent acquisition specialists at the UK’s FTSE350 listed companies.

61% of respondents think creative thinkers will be vital to making the most of AI tools. While more than half say critical thinking skills will be a major string to any applicants bow if AI automates more white-collar jobs.

There’s also an acknowledgement that there needs to be a stronger connection between the higher education sector and jobs sector. 63% say businesses need to work closer with UK Universities to make sure the sector’s developing the right talent and skills.

Education system needs an overhaul to develop the right talent

But does that process need to start sooner? Are our primary and secondary education systems set up to properly develop these vital skillsets?

Possibly not. It’s a point that Guardian journalist Rose Luckin makes in this article. She says the current education system isn’t making the most of human intelligence and the skills that separate us from the bots.

“Staying ahead of AI will mean radically rethinking what education is for, and what success means. Human intelligence is far more impressive than any AI system we see today.”

Tools like ChatGPT and Bard are masters at collating and learning information. When it comes to memory tests, us humans simply can’t compete. Which is why the curriculum needs a rethink.

Less memorisation, more critical interpretation

Teaching methods need to get away from rewarding the students who can memorise best – they now need to be more focused on nurturing critical minds.

Rose pulls on the English syllabus to make her point, and how the current system “requires students to learn quotations and the rules of grammar”. But if the next generation is to fully capitalise on the new jobs market, English teachers need to start cultivating students who can “interpret texts or think critically about language.”

So with AI and machine learning moving at such a pace, it seems our education system needs a radical rethink. Starting from the primary syllabus and going right up to degree-level learning. Otherwise, Musk might just be proved right.

Sources

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67302048 
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/news/creativity-and-critical-thinking-craved
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/14/ai-artificial-intelligence-disrupt-education-creativity-critical-thinking

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