📥 Your Future of Work Digest #12

Welcome to this week’s edition! 👋

Today we will cover top news in AI & Future of Work:

• 📈 AI and AI-related jobs are on the rise

• 🔥 Amazon Launches Q, the answer to Microsoft’s Copilot

• 🚨 Generative AI used by 75% of young Brits…but for the wrong reasons

• 🌠The real reason Sam Altman was fired from OpenAI

• 🧩 Top 5 Interview Questions Millionaire CEO Asks Every Applicant

• 👩🏼‍🦳 The rise of Multi-Generational Workforces

Enjoy! 👇🏼

📈 AI and AI-related jobs are on the rise

Words like ‘Prompt Engineering’, ‘Generative Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘prompt crafting’ are now being used on LinkedIn as many companies are hiring individuals who can give meaningful prompts to AI like ChatGPT. According to LinkedIn, there was a 13% increase for the job title of “AI Head” from December 2022 and the hunt for ‘Prompt Engineers’ is going to skyrocket in 2024. AI ethics officers, chief AI officers, AI auditors, AI trainers, and machine managers are also being pursued by many companies. Many companies who are hiring staff for AI want individuals with ‘Generative AI Expertise’ and ‘Machine Learning Knowledge’ and they don’t require a degree with tech background.

Why it matters: Tech roles will require specializations and specific expertise, but for AI-related roles (ops, marketing) it’s going to be a question of proof of work on projects and implementation. It’s a big opportunity for those looking to be promoted internally or get other jobs to take up some of the tools available out there and build a proof of concept around pain points in the organization.

🔥 Amazon Launches Q, the answer to Microsoft’s Copilot

Amazon has announced the launch of Q, an assistant designed to assist business users. Q offers solutions such as AWS Expert, Your Business Expert, Amazon QuicksSight Assistant, Amazon Connect Assistant, and AWS Supply Chain Assistant. Users can upload their business knowledge into a retrieval augmented generation (RAG) vector database and connect Q to internal systems or third-party applications. Q also offers built-in connectors to various third-party services and provides information with references and citations. Launch customers include Alnylam, Deloitte, Gilead, Repay, Virgin Pulse, and Wunderkind. It is not specified which large language model is behind Q, but users can choose between Anthropic's Claude or AI21's Jurassic.

Why it matters: Q is trained on 17 years' worth of AWS knowledge and can connect to Amazon CodeWhisperer. It will cater to a more tech/engineering audience, but it shows how AI is moving in the direction of very specific vertical applications and that MOATs are given by the data it owns.

🚨 Generative AI used by 75% of young Brits…but for the wrong reasons

Almost four in five British teenagers have used generative artificial intelligence tools and services, according to the media watchdog Ofcom, underscoring the rapid adoption of the fast-evolving technology among a new generation of internet users.

Ofcom found 79%t of 13 to 17-year-olds, and about 40% of children between seven and 12 have used AI for school work or leisure. This compares to less than a third of adults who have experimented with the technology.

The most popular generative AI tool among children and teens is Snapchat’s My AI, especially among teenage girls, according to the study published on Tuesday. ChatGPT is the most widely used generative AI service among internet users aged over 16.

Recently news broke that some schools have seen them using it to make indecent images of other children, which was said to be ‘terrifyingly realistic’.

Why it matters: The usage of this technology bullying is just the beginning of a worrying trend that could have severe outcomes. On the work side, new generations are going to be ‘AI-Native’ much like Millennials were ‘Digital Natives’. This is going to change hiring (how will skills change, and how will we measure them?) but is also a worrying trend for data privacy of young adults and cognitive development. Some studies showed an impoverishment of creativity with high usage and reliance on AI.

🌠The real reason Sam Altman was fired from OpenAI

According to a report by Reuters, OpenAI had a secret breakthrough called Q* (pronounced Q-Star) that precipitated the firing of Sam Altman.

• Before Sam's firing, researchers sent the board a letter warning of a new AI discovery that could "threaten humanity."

• The new model dubbed Q* demonstrated internal capabilities of doing simple math (something no model has achieved).

• While simple math might not seem impressive to most, it could be a huge step toward creating artificial general intelligence (AGI).

• A day before Sam was fired, he gave a chilling speech, quoting: "Is this a tool we've built or a creature we have built?"

Why it matters: While Q* is not fully confirmed yet, if true, the entire firing of Sam Altman could have been AGI-related all along, and the board’s drastic (and unexplained) actions would make more sense.

🧩 Top 5 Interview Questions Millionaire CEO Asks Every Applicant

Interesting TikTok with Matteo Franceschetti, millionaire CEO of Eight-Sleep who shares his top questions for interviews, which covers how you should answer job-related experience.

@20vc_tok

Top 5 interview questions CEO Matteo asks every applicant before hiring into his $500M business #EightSleep a smart mattress and ‘sleep fi... See more

👩🏼‍🦳 The rise of Multi-Generational Workforces

A great article goes in-depth on this topic, which is severely underrated. Here’s why:

1. People are living and working longer (75+ is one of the fastest growing demographics in the US, )

2. Workforce is getting older and smaller (older generations are still working, and not getting replaced by younger workers with lower fertility rates)

   

3. Professionals are evolving later and slower, as adults reach (or want to reach) adult milestones later and later.

   

Why it matters: This will change dramatically the dynamics of hiring and workforce management. Ageism is a real problem, and there are cultural biases towards innovation. With the aging population, companies should value older workers for their experience and expertise. Age bias is more pronounced for women, who face compounded discrimination due to age and gender. Could Generative AI can help combat gendered ageism by leveraging the expertise of experienced staff and promoting inclusivity in job descriptions and recruitment?

We also need to think of innovation: there is a misconception that only ‘disruptive’ innovation exists, but also ‘efficiency’ and ‘sustaining’ innovation are crucial inside organizations, which are actually capable of executing and improving processes - something that older generations are more capable of with experience.