By Ursula Fear, Senior Talent Program Manager, Salesforce South Africa
Many workers in the knowledge economy are trying to reckon with the concept of using AI in their daily work life. The revolutionary Chat-GPT3, arguably the tool that brought AI to the forefront for a critical mass of people, launched mere months ago, in November 2022.
But while we were meditating on what this all means, GPT-4 came out in March 2023. It’s perhaps the best example of exactly how fast technology, and by extension the world of work, can change. This particular tool became widespread and even got upgraded before we could adjust to the fact that it exists.
The people best suited to thriving in this scenario aren’t necessarily the ones with computer science and software qualifications. The world has not even had time to set up formal training and certification for using AI at work. The ones who thrive and develop a competitive advantage will be those who take the initiative to experiment with this new tool and learn from others’ experiences, which can be accessed via the many articles, discussion threads and videos that now exist about generative AI. The capacity to thrive isn’t about being able to use ChatGPT per se – that specific skill is just a good example. Rather, it’s about facing a strange and sometimes fearful situation by finding a way forward rather than resisting or avoiding change. Would you choose fight, flight or figuring it out?