“More educated workers are likely to have the biggest impact,” the consultancy said in a recent report.
Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can generate images, text or other content.
The technology is expected to increase productivity, reduce costs and create new growth opportunities across a wide range of industries.
While AI technology has been around for more than 50 years, since the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot in November 2022, generative AI has quickly become a topic of conversation for employers and employees.
ChatGPT, an AI chatbot from OpenAI, is based on a large language model that helps users find answers to questions, refine essays or resumes, and even create images and videos. It has sparked a debate about the potential for AI to revolutionize industries and work, potentially even making jobs redundant.
With the rapid adoption of technology, experts generally agree that employees can keep up with the demands of the changing landscape by learning, upskilling or reskilling.
Nearly three in five employees say they use generative AI on a weekly basis. It has led to a level of optimization and automation of tasks that were previously thought to be immune to such disruption.
Oliver Wyman
Oliver Wyman conducts monthly surveys of more than 200,000 people in 20 countries to collect data on attitudes toward generative AI and other trends.
The study found that employers prioritize certain skills when it comes to keeping their workers current.
Here are five skills to help you stay relevant in the changing landscape:
Through its research into generative AI, the consulting firm identified a gap between employee and employer perceptions of which skills will be top priority.
“While employees are most focused on training in AI and big data, employers are placing the most value on analytical thinking,” a spokesperson for Oliver Wyman told CNBC Make It.
In the age of AI, analytical thinking is crucial because although the technology can efficiently process and analyze data, it still requires human oversight to synthesize results and draw informed conclusions.
Creative thinking is another distinctly human skill that people should prioritize. While Gen AI is capable of efficiently generating new ideas, writing articles, or even making music, it is important to note that this capability is built on data that the AI has been trained on.
“Generative AI lacks the contextual nuances and ethical judgment that humans should use in analysis,” a spokesperson for Oliver Wyman told CNBC Make It. It “lacks the human ability to make intuitive leaps, connect disparate ideas, and to generate truly novel solutions.”
Gen AI is expected to automate more “routine-oriented” tasks that used to be a significant part of daily work, freeing up employees to spend more time on tasks that are more people or knowledge focused.
The research found that tasks that require “people skills” – such as leadership or tasks that rely on knowledge or expertise – end up taking up the majority of the working day.
Because AI has transformed work so profoundly over the last year, we're also highlighting the most important skill currently seeing the most significant year-over-year increase in demand: adaptability.