Could AI be comeback break for older, experienced workers?

Could the era of generative artificial intelligence (AI) mark the glorious return of older, experienced workers who had lost their edge in the digital age?

With generative AI tools like GitHub Copilot and Adobe Firefly making tasks such as coding and video editing as easy as typing in an "ask", experts foresee a rise in competitiveness of workers who have served corporate time.

Vis-a-vis their younger, digital-savvy counterparts, the playing field is levelling "to some extent", said Associate Professor Damien Joseph, the associate dean at Nanyang Business School.

With the right requests -- or prompts -- dominating outcomes of what computers serve up, experience matters, Prof Joseph said.

And experience comes with the package of domain expertise to guide AI tools better, contextual knowledge to identify biases, errors and gaps, and judgment to consider broader implications of decisions, he added.

Age alone does not confer the upper hand, cautioned Associate Professor Terence Ho from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

He said: "The mature workers who stand to benefit most are those who already have acquired experience in their area of work.

"They can leverage their experience and insights to parse the input of AI, as well as tap AI to do their job better or more efficiently, rather than mature workers who are coming in cold to a new job or vocation."

Since the launch of ChatGPT last November, AI tools have been rapidly adopted by industries ranging from banking and healthcare to real estate and home repair.

Technology firm Salesforce's Digital Skills report released in March showed 72 per cent of local workers saying that they are excited about using generative AI in their job, compared with 43 per cent who worried about AI replacing them.

Generative AI could lead to more older workers, even in the tech industry, said technology consultant Bensen Koh from Access Partnership.

Tech companies worldwide tend to draw and hire younger workers. In Singapore, the median age of workers in the infocomm and technology sector is between 35 and 39, below the median age of 42 in the general workforce.

With generative AI tools already drafting basic programming code, Mr Koh said, experienced programmers will be more productive giving prompts and improving the basic code.

"We could see an increase in the average age of the programming workforce because of a comparatively lower demand for junior programming positions," he said.

He would not go as far as to say that generative AI will help equalise workers of different ages. It does not, for instance, solve other challenges that older workers face, such as age discrimination, or preconceptions about their salary expectations and health.

The technology, however, would narrow the gap between experts and non-experts, Mr Koh said.

Mr Jansen Gwee, founder of recruitment portal OppTy, said any narrowing of the tech competency gap between younger and older workers can have "profound implications" for Singapore's ageing workforce and younger workers.

"If generative AI tools enable older (tech) workers to leverage their experience effectively, it presents an opportunity to tap their expertise and address the talent shortage," he noted.

An erosion of younger workers' digital-native edge would signal to this group that it is time to go beyond touting technical proficiency and learn new skills.

"Critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity will allow them to bring a unique perspective and complement the capabilities of AI tools," Mr Gwee said.

He pointed out that AI already shows signs that it can influence candidate selection in his sector of recruitment by taking on tasks in screening, shortlisting and evaluating job seekers' problem-solving skills.

For Singapore to get the best out of its workforce, organisations and schools need to emphasise continual learning in using AI tools among workers, Mr Gwee said.

Firms are best served by involving members of different ages when setting up their generative AI systems, said Mr Richard Bradshaw, chief executive of executive search firm Ethos BeathChapman Asia.

Younger workers have better digital skills and are more willing to explore new technologies, he added.

Older workers are better at aligning firms' implementation of AI with organisational goals, given their better understanding of industry challenges.

"(Mature workers) can identify patterns, make connections and provide insights that might not be immediately apparent to AI systems," he said. "Additionally, the interpersonal skills are difficult for AI to replicate."

Law student Pranav Ghosh, 22, sees the possibility of a reverse outcome: In fact, generative AI could get young lawyers like him closer to the upper rungs now occupied by the seniors.

"If older lawyers are inept at capitalising on AI, their sources of knowledge would be limited to books or Google searches -- which may not be easily understood by them," he said, noting that younger lawyers will be learning much more quickly and widely.

While AI is no substitute for experience when it comes to knowledge of the nuances of the law, or making that judgment call in the midst of a trial, he thinks it is nowhere near replacing junior lawyers either.

The technology has made him more optimistic about his litigation career than he has ever been.

"My career really isn't being threatened here," Mr Ghosh said.

Computer science student Xenos Fiorenzo Anong, 20, said technical knowledge remains necessary: "It does not matter how good someone is at talking to ChatGPT.

"If one does not have enough coding knowledge or tech literacy to understand the scope of the problem, no amount of prompt-writing skill can help them find the right solution."

Prof Ho said that, overall, AI will lead to better and more cost-effective healthcare for seniors in ageing Singapore, and relieve manpower shortages in the tight labour market.

Depending on whether a worker's job could be automated, and whether he could be retrained for new roles that leverage or complement AI, "there will be winners and losers".

Source : The Straits Times