Amid the rise of AI, lean on empathy and update education to keep humans’ edge
- AI has the potential to replace large portions of the workforce, but even if it does, the need for some human qualities, such as empathy, will only become more acute
- In the education sector, AI can help both teachers and students, but it is important to promote digital literacy and cultivate geospatial skills in the next generation
The World Economic Forum’s The Future of Jobs Report 2020 predicts that as many as 97 million new jobs could emerge in the coming years, requiring a new division of labour between humans and artificial intelligence machines. The latter will focus on information processing, and administrative and manual tasks, while humans cover management, decision-making, communication and interpersonal and human-computer interaction.
Therefore, we need to promote digital literacy. Hong Kong’s Education Bureau is following this trend by launching AI modules this year at the junior secondary level. This is on the right track, but I wonder how effective it can be with just four hours of study a year in a busy academic curriculum.
Further, spatial intelligence will be indispensable in the future. Smart cities use a massive amount of data. With the number of connected devices worldwide expected to jump to 125 billion in 2030, according to IHS Markit, geographic information systems (GIS) can efficiently collate and analyse data to help make better decisions.
Spatial data is a driver of the new economy. According to the UK government, the private sector using location data in areas such as retail, logistics and mobility could unlock an economic value of up to £11 billion (US$13.8 billion) a year.
Despite this, there is a serious shortage of talent with geospatial expertise. Hong Kong is no exception. We need to start with education. I hope the authorities will add GIS to the existing curriculum to enrich young people’s problem-solving skills, expand the local talent pool and build an advanced smart city.
Smartphones have conquered the world with their ease of use, thanks to user experience (UX) design, which blends mathematical engineering, psychology and marketing.
As AI has started to be a key competitor in the workforce, we should bank on our unique quality of human empathy to keep the upper hand.
Dr Winnie Tang is an adjunct professor at the University of Hong Kong