Tech workers, snatch your heart – Artificial intelligence may actually be good for your job outlook.
In a recent survey, seven in 10 technical leaders said they plan to increase the number of people on their teams through the expansion of generator AI.
The potential for increased demand for high-tech talent is welcome news, following years of industry layoffs and recent comments from well-known tech CEOs, including Andy Jassy of Amazon, who warns that AI is coming for some jobs.
The newly released findings from Deloitte are based on a March survey of approximately 600 chief information officers, CTOs and other technical leaders. Among them, 69% of tech leaders said they were planning to scale their teams for genai.
Such a plan is a sign that many leaders are going to think about the expertise they need as AI will rapidly advance its capabilities, Anjali Shaikh, managing director at Deloitte, told Business Insider.
She said it means asking what kind of skills will be needed as AI takes on more jobs.
Other questions include how roles evolve to incorporate AI. For example, people working in cybersecurity can see their daily activities change as AI absorbs more obligations related to strengthening their digital infrastructure.
Beyond that, many new roles likely combine technical chops with what is called soft skills, Shayf said.
Workers, build your skills
The outlook for workplaces crowded with technologies such as Genai and AI agents (autonomous software programs) has sometimes raised uncomfortable questions about whether a human employee count would still be needed. This is especially true for desk jobs where automation is likely to be easier than plumbers and electricians.
More CEOs are talking about possible fallout. Openai Chief Sam Altman said this month that AI is already producing similar pieces to its junior employees. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said that future generations of leaders will tell fellow CEOs that they will oversee both people and agents.
Of course, AI plays a bigger role within the organization, so it is of course not guaranteed to acquire or maintain technology. In many cases, people need to build their skills to stay competitive.
That's what Amazon's Jussy and other leaders are making because they begged workers to improve AI capabilities to avoid becoming obsolete. Jassy said that while AI will take over some of the jobs, the technology is likely to lead to the addition of other roles. This is an idea that resonated with the results of the Deloitte survey.
For many people, experimentation is important
Shayf said that takeaways for most workers is about learning AI and what it can and cannot. She said that while she doesn't think most workers need to get hooked on it, she might need technical skills.
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“Experimentation, understanding what technology can and can't do is probably the most basic,” she said.
Shaikh said there is a greater need for human skills to further promote adoption and maximize technology as AI becomes more independent within the organization.
She said that it means that workers often need to develop their most human abilities: empathy, emotional intelligence and curiosity. They also need to rely on critical thinking, problem solving, logical reasoning, written and verbal communication, Shaikh said.
“We're going to need someone to understand how to use it,” she said. “It would require some of those human skills.”
