Artificial intelligence may transform hiring across several industries — but a few skills can help most people safeguard their future careers, according to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
“[AI] will eliminate jobs. That doesn’t mean that people won’t have other jobs,” Dimon told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” on Sunday. “My advice to people would be critical thinking … learn EQ [emotional quotient, also known as emotional intelligence], learn how to be good in a meeting, how to communicate, how to write. You’ll have plenty of jobs.”
Dimon’s prediction comes during somewhat of an AI reckoning across the American workforce. Some experts say AI is a factor behind a rising unemployment rate for young people, with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warning in May that the technology could erase up to half of all white-collar jobs over the next five years.
Other CEOs see changes on the horizon, too. “It’s very clear that AI is going to change literally every job,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that published on Sept. 26, adding: “Maybe there’s a job in the world that AI won’t change, but I haven’t thought of it.”
For his part, Dimon has previously emphasized the value of leaders with soft skills. Effective leaders have the ability to ask good questions and learn from competitors, clients and their own mistakes, he told LinkedIn’s “This is Working” video series in July 2024.
“If you don’t have an accurate assessment of the real world out there, what’s changing, what the ideas are, you will eventually fail,” said Dimon.
Some other experts and business leaders generally agree with Dimon’s sentiment. Critical thinking, or the ability to analyze information and form takeaways, is a particular key to success in the age of AI, Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman told CNBC’s “Closing Bell Overtime” on Aug. 8. While AI can perform a variety of administrative and skill-based tasks, it can’t currently make nuanced judgements, research shows.
“You’re going to want to be creative. You’re going to want to be [good at] critical thinking. And you’re going to want to be flexible,” said Garman. “I think the ability to learn new things and adapt is going to be just as important as any particular skill that you learn.”
Similarly, strong communication skills and emotional intelligence are an essential part of succeeding in a modern workforce, some experts say. Being able to effectively relay your ideas and interact with colleagues comes with relatively obvious benefits. Just being perceived by your colleagues as a good communicator can help you form relationships, be more likeable and gain influence at the office.
You can improve how you interact with others by mentally preparing before conversations, asking thoughtful questions, taking accountability for your mistakes, giving others credit for good ideas and participating in small talk with your colleagues — but being a great communicator is often about listening, according to Harvard University associate professor Alison Wood Brooks.
“Successful conversationalists and successful employees go a step further” than a perfunctory head nod and making eye contact, Wood Brooks told CNBC Make It in July. “Listening to somebody’s answer then probing for more information is a superhero move, and a shockingly low number of people think to do it. You should show [you’re listening] by saying [you are] out loud.”
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