New technology only replaces those who don’t want to learn, says author

 

Author Justin Cohen said those who lead change would do more and thrive.

KUALA LUMPUR: 

New technology will only replace employees who refuse to upskill themselves, an expert in human transformation said in highlighting the need for people to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) in their daily lives.

Justin Cohen, an author and AI conference speaker, said people should avoid becoming a 

boomer

 or a 

doomer

 who either deny the existence of new technology or spread fears that AI might lead to the end of the human race.

Charles Darwin said those who are most responsive to change will survive,

 Cohen said, referring to the famed naturalist.

I believe that those who lead change will do more, that they will truly thrive,

 he said at the National Human Capital Conference & Exhibition (NHCCE) 2024 today.

Cohen emphasised the need to become continual learners who constantly develop new skills needed to remain competitive in the workforce.

He said history had proven those who had said technology would eventually leave most people without a job and source of income to be 

profoundly wrong

.

As mechanisation and automation have taken over some jobs, humans have gone on to hold better jobs that are often less arduous. Our grandparents toiled in the fields, so we get to sit here and think and connect.

He proposed three steps for people to augment their experience with AI, starting with 

activation

, which involves using AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.

After integrating these tools into one’s life, Cohen said it was crucial to then know how to enter the correct prompts.

AI, he said, could be used for both good and bad and there was a need to prompt AI correctly, adding that the 

quality of the answers depends on the quality of the questions

.

Clarify with and question the AI, and then it is up to you to discern and decide.

Ultimately, Cohen said, people had the final say in determining the output of information, which should be guided by their experiences, emotions and motivations.

It’s not man versus machine. It’s human partners machines. - FMT