We have entered a new era of productivity driven by generative artificial intelligence. A surprising skills gap has emerged: digital natives, who we might expect to be at the forefront of this technological shift, are falling behind.
Unlike other technological tools before it, artificial intelligence represents a new way of working. The key to unlocking the productivity gains AI promises lies in a fundamental shift in thinking: Stop thinking of AI as a search engine and start thinking of it as your latest direct report.
For the longest-tenured leaders with years of experience managing people, this transition is almost second nature. But for early-career employees who don’t have the time and experience to develop these management skills, it’s a whole new ballgame.
This is the story we hear from Microsoft customers and our own employees.based on our Research65% of Gen Z employees say they currently do not have the appropriate skills to meet the demands of the AI era. That’s a significant difference compared to the 50% response we get from baby boomers.
Prioritize complexity over simplicity
I’ve been using generative AI tools at work for a few months now, and I never want to work without it again. In my experience, artificial intelligence can handle day-to-day requests with ease. Ask a simple question and you’ll get a simple answer.
However, limiting artificial intelligence to these types of mundane tasks is a missed opportunity, because where it will really shine—and where users will experience huge productivity gains—is in more complex and nuanced tasks.
Asking it to prioritize my tasks based on what’s most important to me today, analyze options presented in meetings I missed and recommend a decision, and brainstorm creative new names for upcoming product features are all things AI saves me from The types of scenarios give me precious time and energy to focus on work that is uniquely human and only I can do.
Representative details
Just like you delegate work to employees on your team, you will soon delegate work to artificial intelligence. And, just like working with humans, effectively delegating tasks to AI requires clear communication.
Just four ingredients are enough to get magical results:
- Target: The response you are looking for.
- Background: why you need it and who is involved.
- Source: What information or samples should the artificial intelligence extract from.
- Expectations: How it should respond to meet your needs.
So while “What’s in my inbox right now?” might yield some useful results, I’ve found more specific requests like: “List what’s in my inbox in the past 24 hours The Five Most Important Emails. For each email, please give me a brief summary, tell me why you think it is important, and then advise me on what you think I should do to produce actionable results. , let me advance a few hours.
However, these answers should not be taken at face value. Just as you work with your direct reports, you’ll need to review the information you get from the AI, ask questions, and provide feedback to get the most useful, tailored responses.
Using artificial intelligence is a deeply collaborative process. From start to finish, humans must be in the driver’s seat – in full control and responsible for making decisions.
The ability to break down multi-faceted projects, assign and evaluate work, and ultimately drive decisions and deliverables are skills we traditionally associate with those who directly lead or manage people. This is an assumption we need to change.
Let every employee become a manager
To prepare your organization for artificial intelligence, you need to turn to Every Develop employees into managers by providing them with the management experience and skills they need to thrive in this new era.
While just-in-time engineering is certainly a good starting point, the skills required to use artificial intelligence are much more in-depth. Employees up and down the organizational pyramid need to learn how to think critically, solve complex problems, ask the right questions, and understand the dynamics at play inside and outside the organization.
Some of these skills can be taught through training courses and how-to guides, but they cannot replace life experience. Providing leadership opportunities (whether formal or informal) to employees at all levels is critical. In my own team, we prioritize stretch assignments that require leadership on cross-functional projects or teams, mentoring opportunities, and consistent feedback and coaching.
The promise of AI has never been more real, but becoming an AI-powered organization isn’t something you can do with the flip of a switch. It requires a conscious approach that puts employee skills at its core. Organizations that prioritize such investments in their employees will be the ones that benefit from artificial intelligence.
Jared Spataro is principal vice president of modern work and business applications at Microsoft.
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