92% of top roles in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector are set to experience significant artificial intelligence-driven changes, said a global consortium--led by Cisco and including major industry players such as Accenture, Eightfold, Google, IBM, Indeed, Intel, Microsoft and SAP. on Wednesday 31 July, the report highlights the urgent need for workers to reskill and upskill in response to the rapid evolution of job requirements due to technological advancements.
The report noted that with the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Midjourney, workers must prepare for digital environments that increasingly mimic human capabilities. The report referenced a recent World Economic Forum study, which found that 58% of surveyed employees expect their job skills to undergo significant changes within the next five years due to AI and big data.
Francine Katsoudas, chief people, policy and purpose officer at Cisco and a founding member of the AI-enabled ICT workforce consortium, stated, “AI represents a never-before-seen opportunity for technology to benefit humankind in every way, and we have to act intentionally to make sure populations don’t get left behind.” She emphasised that the consortium members are committed to training and upskilling 95m people over the next decade. This initiative aims to create a long-term roadmap for an inclusive workforce that can effectively engage with and thrive in an AI-driven era.
AI-influenced jobs
The report offered a detailed examination of AI’s impact on ICT jobs, revealing that 92% of the analysed roles are expected to experience either high or moderate levels of transformation due to AI advancements. Entry-level and mid-level ICT professionals are particularly affected, with 40% of mid-level positions and 37% of entry-level positions anticipated to undergo significant changes. As AI continues to reshape job functions, the importance of certain skills will increase, including AI ethics, responsible AI, prompt engineering, AI literacy, large language models (LLM) architecture, and agile methodologies, said the report. Conversely, skills such as traditional data management, content creation, documentation maintenance, basic programming and research information may become less relevant.
The consortium report provided a comprehensive analysis of AI’s impact on 47 ICT roles across seven job families using a ‘job transformation canvas’. This analysis is based on the highest volume of job postings from February 2023 to early 2024 in the US and Europe, according to Indeed Hiring Lab. The job transformation canvas outlines each role’s job description, principal tasks and required skills. It further details how AI will influence each role and identifies future skills needed, skills that will be diminished by AI and those that AI will complement.
AI training and upskilling
The report highlighted the consortium members’ commitment to fostering an inclusive workforce through upskilling and reskilling opportunities. To support sectors increasingly adopting AI technology, the members have set ambitious targets. Cisco plans to train 25m people in cybersecurity and digital skills by 2032. IBM aims to skill 30m individuals by 2030, including 2m in AI by the end of 2026. Intel targets empowering over 30m people with AI skills by 2030. Microsoft has pledged to train and certify 10m people in digital skills by 2025 and has already exceeded this goal by training 12.6m people a year ahead of schedule. SAP intends to upskill 2m people globally by 2025 and Google has recently announced over $130m in funding to support AI training.