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Key Takeaways Accenture “exited” 11,000 employees unable to adapt to AI, highlighting the urgent need for reskilling in the workforce.
Research indicates employees are open to AI and willing to learn new skills, but companies must provide sufficient reskilling opportunities.
The success of integrating AI in the workplace hinges on scalable reskilling programs and active, engaging learning methods.
In September, the consulting firm Accenture made headlines when it acknowledged it had “exited” 11,000 employees who couldn’t be retrained to adapt to AI. On a recent earnings call, CEO Julie Sweet explained the decision bluntly, saying that “the workforce needs new skills to use AI, and new talent strategies and related competencies must be developed.”
It’s a tough-but-true reality that thanks to AI, tomorrow’s jobs will look radically different than they do today. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030, nearly 40% of workers’ core skills will have changed.
This is hardly the first time in history that this has been the case. During the Industrial Revolution, skilled artisans and weavers lost jobs to machines that could produce textiles faster and more cheaply than they could by hand. The new technology was widely protested by people who became known as the Luddites, who weren’t anti-technology as much as they were anti-being left behind. Their real grievance was that the rules of work changed overnight without a path to adapt.
Two centuries later, leaders face a similar turning point: AI will absolutely transform work, but how it plays out depends on not only the willingness of workers to adapt, but the willingness of organizations to help them along.
Why reskilling is a competitive advantage
Many headlines are quick to point to employees’ widespread fear of AI. But there’s more to the story — according to research from Genpact, nearly 60% of workers said they’d be more comfortable with AI if they understood it better; 80% said they’d be willing to learn new skills to take advantage of AI in their current job.
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