According to the World Economic Forum, a whopping 75 million jobs could be displaced by automated tech before 2022. While that might seem scary, the good news is that the evolution of artificial intelligence, or AI, could create 58 million brand new jobs. But, if you’re in the tech and telco sector and you’re still feeling nervous about the prospect of having your entire team replaced by machines, there are ways to ready yourself for change, learn new skills to adapt, and develop the skills that make us innately human. Combining that approach with making the most of what AI has to offer will make for a future-proof tech and telco workforce. Read on to find out what you and your team need to know.

How people and machines will work together?

Charlotte Patrick, a global tech analyst, recently predicted that many telco organisations could fall behind when it comes to adopting AI. One of the main drivers to avoiding that lag is focusing on the importance of humans working alongside machines. Thanks to our human ability to make decisions, people will always have a role in developing reasoning for machines, and machines can boost that reasoning with data and intelligence.

Executing decisions, however, is where AI can help you pick up speed. The need to make choices and take advantage of opportunities can arise quickly, and automation and AI can help your respond equally as fast. It is important, however, to make time to evaluate the quality of any suggestions made my a machine, and also the future impacts those suggestions may have. Human intuition is yet another thing that machines can’t replicate.

For marketing teams, AI tech provides tons of possibilities, like updating text and images you already use to generate brand new content. This could minimise costs and maximise efficiency, freeing up time for human creativity and benefiting the wider organisation. Keeping all of these changes accessible to the wider organisation is important, too. Your data and analytics team will play a big part in that, and will also have to manage more complicated issues that come up.

How AI will help you develop a better understanding of customers?

This is where breaking down complicated and diverse data sets comes in. If you can do that, you’ll have a more holistic understanding of your customers and their needs. Machine learning can help you with that, through interpreting and managing the massive amounts of data tech and telco organisations have. You’ll be able to work that thorough understanding of data the AI generates into your organisational goals and your interactions with customers.

Beyond internal use of AI, it’s important to remember that your customers will also become increasingly AI-savvy alongside you. That means they’ll be looking to tech and telco companies for more opportunities to interact with AI, and for better products at a faster rate based on their knowledge of the AI you’re working with.

How this could affect your business

AI and automation are going to create a whole new world for tech and telco businesses. Decisions will need to be made more quickly, and product delivery will also need to be sped up. You’ll also be moving into an even more competitive landscape. To respond to this, it’s about empowering your people to work well alongside machines, as we mentioned above, staying on top of all developments in the AI space, and anticipating changes in regulation and customer mindsets. A key feature of the tech and telco organisations that do this successfully will be providing top-notch training for their employees.

How reskilling and upskilling fit with AI

Again, there are so many benefits to helping your people develop new skills. Your teams will not only be happier and more adaptable, but they’ll be more effective and ready to keep on learning as things continue to evolve. When you’ve taken stock of your current teams and roles, and understood how you might need to shift to better prepare for the future, the next step will be considering upskilling and training.

A one size fits all programme likely won’t cut it for you. The best kind of learning is based on real-world examples that suit your unique tech and telco organisation, and they should be up-to-date with developments in the digital space. Providing your teams with self-directed and interactive learning that keeps them engaged will turn your people into life-long learners who are always keen to grow and evolve within–and beyond–their roles.

The biggest way this applies to the predicted influx of AI within tech and telco businesses is creating teams that are prepared for and excited about change, especially the change that comes with digital disruption. Empowering your employees with learning will keep them progressing, and help them build up a more diverse set of skills, and in turn, help your business future-proof itself with people who are well-rounded and well-equipped to fill the gaps that AI can’t.

About Avado

For more than 20 years, Avado have been providing professional training and qualifications that transform businesses. Our Data Academy can help you upskill your teams, and stay competitive in an always-evolving industry. Reach out for more information!