Introduction: This year, 2024, I am personally drafting roadmaps for growing 57 different human skills. The idea is to share all of the work here in this LinkedIn newsletter “Tips for Transformation”.
It’s an exponential way to empower and facilitate personal development at scale. If you are interested, simply dive in below and in my past and future articles. You are welcome!
In my main body of work these past years as a transformation coach and mentor, a key question I have often asked is:
“Do you stay current with the topics that most strongly influence the direction your life (or business) is taking?”. A follow-up question is “How?”.
The thing is, I am not sure I really believe anyone that believe they themselves are fully up to date on all their most important topics. The sheer volume and pace of change in hundreds- if not thousands- of topics close to all of us makes that scenario a mission impossible. After all, a massive number of other humans we don’t know (yet), currently work to improve, refine or even reinvent- in those domains. What you think is the latest and greatest is already history.
I will argue, that our human ability to navigate in the accelerating pace of change we are experiencing, depends strongly on our human skills. Skills such as #Adaptability, #CriticalThinking, #MentalFlexibility, #RelationshipBuilding, #Collaboration, #Selfawareness and the list goes on and on over here on https://educatefor.life/skills
These are the skills we will explore together this year (and beyond), if you are up for it. I certainly will.
The article continues below this DALL-E visualization of the skill AI literacy.
A top priority skill that is often forgotten in debates about important humans skills, or how we avoid being replaced by AI is....
AI Literacy.
a crucial function in your Human Operating System
In a world increasingly driven by artificial intelligence (AI), developing AI literacy is not just a skill but a necessity, a crucial function in your Human Operating System, and in mine. The digital era demands that we not only understand AI but also integrate it into various aspects of our lives, from work to personal development.
So let’s today explore AI Literacy, and begin growing that “muscle” within us.
The Foundation of AI Literacy:
AI literacy goes beyond coding skills. We are not talking about learning to code here at all. Instead, it's about understanding how AI systems work, their impact, and their ethical implications. To start, I recommend familiarizeíng yourself with basic AI concepts and terminologies. Resources like online courses, webinars, and books by AI experts can be excellent starting points, and I will share recommended resources in the comments. You are invited to share your favourite resources too.
Leveraging Digital Skills:
The skills listed on https://educatefor.life/skills emphasize the importance of digital fluency, not least for those of us who are not digital natives. In the context of AI, this means being comfortable with digital tools and platforms that incorporate AI, understanding data privacy, and cybersecurity basics.
Enhancing Our Cognitive Abilities:
Critical thinking and problem-solving are key cognitive skills that enhance AI literacy. AI often presents complex problems and scenarios, requiring a nuanced understanding and analytical approach. Engaging in puzzles, strategy games, and brain exercises can sharpen these abilities.
Developing Data Literacy:
AI is data-driven. Understanding how to interpret data, recognize patterns, and make data-informed decisions is crucial. Consider taking courses in statistics, data analysis, or even specific tools like Excel or Python.
Cultivating Continuous Learning and Adaptability:
The field of AI is rapidly evolving. Staying updated with the latest trends, breakthroughs, and discussions in the AI community is vital. Follow AI news, join forums, and participate in AI-focused events. Be curious and be open to make this a new hobby, or at least subscribe to -and read- a few relevant newsletters on the topic. The comments section below is welcoming recommended newsletters and channels that you think can be helpful to others as well.
Understanding Biases and Ethical Implications:
AI systems are not free from biases, as they often reflect the data they are trained on. Educate yourself about these biases and the ethical considerations in AI development and usage. This understanding is critical for responsible AI literacy. I am more and more frequenly being offered “LLM’s trained by someone for a particular use case and made open source". While that is always interesting (to me), make sure your response includes asking for a full declaration of the training data used to better assess which biases you will be inheriting. This is actually a part of the recent European Union AI Act, so not a request made up for the sake of this article.
Not everyone "received the memo about Ethics and moral", unfortunately. You will need to stand your ground and defend your values in a market, that may not be listening too much. The future of ethics is for you to decide. Know what you are getting, understand what you are doing. Growing your AI literacy is really important, not just professionally but for anyone who uses AI knowingly and unknowingly. Our kids included.
Conclusion:
we can not only adapt to the AI-driven world but also shape it responsibly
Developing AI literacy is now officially added to your journey of continuous learning and adaptation, if it was not already. By integrating digital and cognitive skills, understanding the ethical implications, and staying updated with AI advancements, we can not only adapt to the AI-driven world but also shape it responsibly.
Fun Activities:
That was a lot of seriousness offloaded on you right there. So let me now recommend some fun, lighter activities that can help us get started, growing our interest in AI, playing with some of the many tools such as Generative AI, where Large Language Models are now making it really interesting to interact with these tools. Is all this black magic to you right now? You are not alone! Try look up the above words and terms if they are new to you. And then play with the activities.
To get a first experience with generative AI, here are some small, simple, and fun experiments that you can do alone, with your family in the weekend, or with colleagues who are getting curious too. They will grow your AI literacy for sure, and make you more likely to dive deeper into the topic on your own.
Head on over to my LinkedIn article here https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-literacy-your-roadmap-navigate-world-powered-lars-lin-villeb%25C3%25A6k-v3zof and visit the activites in the comments section. I have added comments for each of the AI exercises I suggest. Let me know how it goes, what you create, by replying to each comment.
Let the fun discovery of #AI and the next phase of growing your AI literacy begin!
Enjoy!
PS: consider joining my Educatefor.Life community, where you can join workshops on the #skills you find particularly interesting and relevant for yourself or your team. This includes also advanced AI use, rapid prototyping of new concepts or products etc. We have a team of professional coaches too, if you consider seeking professional coaching to accelerate your skill development. Look for Sprinthero.com
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AIliteracy
Explore more human skills for your Human Operating System here