The One Skill That Will Define Success In An AI-Driven World

By 2034, traditional 9-to-5 jobs will become obsolete, giving way to more flexible and dynamic work structures. That’s one of many bold predictions from LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman. And Hoffman has a pretty strong track record when it comes to betting on the future.

He predicted social networks would change the world — a bet that led to a $26 billion payoff when he sold LinkedIn. Hoffman was an early Airbnb investor because he saw the rise of the sharing economy. And he called the AI revolution years before ChatGPT became widely available.

Hoffman says that AI will lead to a more flexible workforce, where ideas are currency. If you want to succeed in an AI-driven world, ideas (not effort) are what matter most, according to Hoffman. That means that this one very human skill is what your career needs in order to conquer the future of work.https://embedly.forbes.com/widgets/media.html?type=text%2Fhtml&key=3ce26dc7e3454db5820ba084d28b4935&schema=twitter&url=https%3A//x.com/briandecoded/status/1879151538414715026&image=

How Creativity and AI Will Redefine the Future of Work

In this AI-driven world, the creator economy is poised to flourish. That means that creativity is going to matter more than effort. Your ability to imagine, to create, to envision new possibilities: innovation is your currency, in the current (and future) economy. AI technologies will empower individuals to produce diverse content and products with unprecedented ease, democratizing creation and enabling people to bring their ideas to life without extensive resources. This shift is expected to reduce the cost of goods and services, making them more accessible. How will these changes affect your career? Or, perhaps a better question: what would you like to create for yourself? ChatGPT is ready for that prompt, it seems.

McKinsey offers a prediction that is laced with future-focused insight: current gen AI and other technologies have the potential to automate work activities that absorb up to 70 percent of employees’ time today. How we look at “efficiency” is already changing. For future-focused workers, being better at your job means being more creative in your career. That’s not to say you should take up arts and crafts, or start a dance company (unless you are familiar with that choreography). The message is: how can AI help you to create the future of work?

What Changes Will AI Really Bring to Your Career - and Your Life?

Here are the forces driving the future. Read on, to find ideas to help you to capitalize on these emerging trends in your career:

Increased Consumption: Greater efficiency from AI means increased profit, in the short term. Hoffman and others predict lower prices will be the result in the long term. This shift may lead to increased consumption, as consumers find themselves with greater purchasing power. This could result in a higher standard of living and access to products and services that were previously unaffordable.

A Massive Jump in Production: JP Morgan Chase predicts a surge in production that we haven’t seen since the introduction of things like the steam engine, electricity or the personal computer. While the steam engine took 60 years to deliver any kind of economy-wide productivity gains, and the PC took 15, AI is already transforming how work gets done. That means that your career focus must shift and adapt. Meanwhile, AI is already creating a surge in artificial content and fake profiles on Instagram and Facebook. Seems the rising tide of production is lifting all boats - even the phony ones.

Shift Towards Value and Quality: With AI optimizing production and reducing costs, value and quality is projected to increase while cost moves in the other direction. over price. The accessibility of higher-quality goods at lower prices could shift consumer focus towards durability and brand reputation.

How Can You Access the One Skill that Matters Most

Exploring creativity, in the context of creation, is the focus for my coaching practice. Helping thousands of executives, entrepreneurs and aspiring leaders to see new possibilities is a handshake between creativity and innovation. In my work with Fortune 500 companies and FTSE 100 organizations, the capacity for human innovation and ideation remains a renewable (and inexhaustible) resource. Here’s how you can access your own creativity, and grow it:

1. Slow Down to Go Fast: Looking for new ideas? You’ve got be able to separate signal from noise. That’s according to Cal Newport, the author of Deep Work. If you want to be better at your relationships, your job, and your social skills, slow down. Notice that “fast food” and good food are often mutually exclusive - that’s true with our thinking as well. Newport says that we need to practice slow reading, which is the exact opposite of what you were just swiping through on TikTok. It’s counter-intuitive, but slowing down is the key to accelerating your creativity. Newport says that slow reading actually sharpens our ability to work through complicated ideas - and trains your brain to resist distraction. In a world where there are so many distractions, it’s vital to slow down. What are you doing, today, to separate signal from noise - and access your own innovation?
2. Two Heads are Better Than One: are you bouncing ideas off of ChatGPT, or other forms of AI? If so, you already know the power inside of a conversation. The key is to identify the questions that can help you to access your own creativity, so that you don’t become too reliant on ChatGPT. Collaboration is powerful, but outsourcing all of your creativity is a dangerous game. In the future of work, AI is your new partner - how will you work together?
3. Cultivate Vital Soft Skills: to create the future in a world of AI, concentrate on the operating system that matters most: the human operating system. Invest in training to learn how AI functions, and how you can use it more effectively. And concentrate on upskilling around a Brand Called You. Skills like effective communication, collaboration and innovation are what the future demands. Who are you working with, right now, to make sure you are advancing your career from the inside out? How are you investing in your own creativity, and exploring what you want to create? It’s easy to fall into the misunderstanding that AI is going to replace all jobs. Sure, some jobs will be replaced, but others will be created. And what you can create, with AI, is where you will find your future.

Creativity is not something that’s reserved for others - those “creatives”, whatever that might mean to you. Notice that we all have the ability to create. In my work with engineers all over the world, I’m often told that my clients “are not creative”. But then I remember the words of John Sharp, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System - and home to the largest engineering school in the USA. Sharp tells Forbes, “Look out the window. Everything you see was made by God - or an engineer.” While this might make some architects holler, he’s got a point: who among us doesn’t have the ability to create things... even if it’s just a new thought? We create partnerships, products, services and more. As you look to the future of work, you’ve got a new partner who’s ready to play - and that creative partner is AI.