The AI Skills Imperative: Grow AI Skills And Transform Your Work Before AI Transforms Your Work for You
- Mathias Otte
- Nov 26, 2024
- 3 min read
The Productivity Gap Is Widening
While global workers are racing ahead with AI adoption, Australian professionals are falling dangerously behind[i]. New Atlassian research reveals that Australians are 40% more likely than the global average to dismiss AI as “useless” in their work. The cost of this resistance[ii]? Strategic AI users are gaining an extra day of productivity each week – creating an expanding competitive gulf that threatens to reshape entire industries and careers.
The message is clear: every week of delayed AI adoption isn’t just lost time – it’s lost ground in a race that’s already well underway.
The Current State in Australia - Basic AI Use Only
Recent research from technology leader Atlassian paints a concerning picture of Australia’s AI adoption. The findings reveal significant scepticism among Australian workers, with approximately half viewing AI as either irrelevant to their work or merely a sporadic tool. More specifically, two-thirds of surveyed workers classify themselves as basic AI users, while the proportion of Australians dismissing AI’s workplace value or limiting it to occasional use is 40% higher than the global average[iii]. These statistics suggest Australia risks losing ground in the worldwide AI race, potentially compromising its competitive position in the digital economy.
The Implementation Challenge - Create an Implementation Strategy
Despite growing AI awareness, organisations struggle with effective implementation. According to Deloitte research, only a small fraction of generative AI pilots make it to production, with 70% of companies successfully deploying less than a third of their AI experiments[iv]. This hesitancy stems from legitimate concerns about technical reliability, including accuracy issues, potential data security risks, and the challenge of managing AI-generated errors or “hallucinations,” which are false or misleading outputs produced by AI. These barriers highlight the gap between AI’s potential and practical implementation in business settings.[v]
The Opportunity - Grow Your AI Skills And Transform Your Work
Study findings reveal a compelling upside. Among the 5,000 workers surveyed, those who approached AI strategically reported significant efficiency gains, equivalent to saving an entire workday every week. This productivity boost demonstrates the tangible benefits available to professionals who integrate AI into their workflow.
The Path Forward - Learn How To Use AI
Every professional must develop AI literacy as a core competency - it’s no longer optional. Working with AI is similar to collaborating with an incredibly capable colleague with deep knowledge across multiple domains[vi]. Like any productive partnership, success depends on learning how to communicate effectively and ask the right questions. This involves developing two parallel skills: technical literacy in AI tools and strategic thinking about best leveraging AI’s capabilities. The professionals who will thrive view AI as a powerful complement to their expertise, allowing them to elevate their work to more strategic levels while automating routine tasks. Start now, grow your AI skills and transform your work.
Take Action
There is no time to lose. Understanding how to craft effective prompts is the fundamental skill that unlocks AI’s true potential in your work. If you’re ready to get strategic with AI, join a practical workshop where you’ll learn the art of prompting. You’ll learn to define tasks clearly, set precise goals, and use AI as your collaborative partner. This hands-on experience will give you the foundation to start transforming your work processes with AI.
If you’re ready to start experimenting with AI in your professional context, join a practical Promptathon Express Workshop, a hands-on session focused on learning the fundamentals of effective prompting, the practice of giving clear instructions to AI. Explore how to define tasks, set clear goals, and develop solutions using AI as a collaborative tool.
[i] “Australians Most Nervous Globally about AI | Ipsos.”
[ii] “State of Teams 2024.”
[iii] “State of Teams 2024.”
[iv] “There Are Many Reasons Why Companies Struggle to Exploit Generative AI, Says Deloitte Survey | ZDNET.”
[v] CE, “Generative AI Faces Challenges in Risk and Data Handling, New Deloitte Study Shows.”
[vi] Slack, “What Is Collaborative Intelligence?”
References
“Australians Most Nervous Globally about AI | Ipsos,” July 11, 2023. https://www.ipsos.com/en-au/australians-most-nervous-globally-about-ai.
CE, Deloitte. “Generative AI Faces Challenges in Risk and Data Handling, New Deloitte Study Shows.” M&A Port. Accessed November 26, 2024. https://www.mnaport.com/en-SK/media/undefined/en-SK/media/generative-ai-faces-challenges-in-risk-and-data-handling-new-deloitte-study.
Slack. “What Is Collaborative Intelligence? Work Smarter with AI.” Slack. Accessed November 26, 2024. https://slack.com/blog/collaboration/collaborative-intelligence-people-and-ai-working-smarter-together.
“There Are Many Reasons Why Companies Struggle to Exploit Generative AI, Says Deloitte Survey | ZDNET.” Accessed November 26, 2024. https://www.zdnet.com/article/there-are-many-reasons-why-companies-struggle-to-exploit-gen-ai-says-deloitte-survey/.
Work Life by Atlassian. “State of Teams 2024.” Accessed November 26, 2024. https://www.atlassian.com/blog/state-of-teams-2024.
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