Is AI actually taking on my job?
A couple of years in the past, I by no means thought robots would come for the artistic trade. However right here I’m, a author who constructed my profession by way of phrases, now staring down the fact that synthetic intelligence (AI) can churn out articles in seconds — and at no cost.
Inside just a few months of ChatGPT’s launch, generative AI turned much more superior, now able to churning out pictures, movies and even music. My finest buddy, who drew the enduring Price range Babe graphic that you simply guys have seen on this weblog for the final decade, spent shut to twenty years honing her creative illustration abilities. However in the present day, Midjourney, DALL-E and Leonardo AI at the moment are in a position to create and replicate graphics in virtually any artist’s type. A few of you might need even tried it out lately, while you generated your individual Studio Ghibli-styled pictures on ChatGPT currently.
Supply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8b2wnUi1UU
The know-how has superior past simply nonetheless textual content or pictures. Instruments like HeyGen and Synthesia now means that you can create movies with out even filming them your self, and have your avatar converse in over 100+ international languages to succeed in a wider viewers.
However worrying about AI taking on our jobs is not going to assist us to cease the waves of change.
As an alternative, we will discover ways to surf and trip these waves to welcome the longer term.
Right here’s what I’m doing to maintain myself related, and what you are able to do, too.
Embracing AI could make us higher at our work
Many staff who’re unable to replace their abilities as wanted find yourself dealing with wage stagnation, whereas employers concurrently complain that not sufficient staff possess the mandatory abilities.
So in in the present day’s context, which means:
- embracing AI,
- studying how one can work with AI instrumentsand
- consistently upgrading our abilities to stay related.
That’s the reason amidst my busy schedule, I’ve taken time to be taught – and apply – utilizing AI instruments to put in writing and generate my content material quicker. Because of ChatGPT, I now not undergo from “writers’ block”. Canva AI has helped me to create visible graphics that I in any other case couldn’t conjure up on my own.
Determining how one can use these new instruments felt difficult at first, however it has gotten simpler over time. Fortunately, Singapore’s Price range 2025 has launched a number of initiatives to assist our studying.
Lifelong Studying is extra important than ever earlier than
The Authorities’s current Budgets rolled out vital enhancements to the SkillsFuture initiative. Specifically, the SkillsFuture Stage-Up Programme (SFLP) for Singaporeans aged 40 years and above supplies:
- A SkillsFuture Credit score (Mid-Profession) Prime-Upwhich supplies an extra $4,000 credit score to offset course charges for over 7,000 chosen programs geared toward bettering employability.
- SkillsFuture Mid-Profession Coaching Allowance for Full-Time Programs: Eligible people can now apply for a month-to-month allowance of as much as $3,000 when enterprise chosen full-time programs.
- SkillsFuture Mid-Profession Coaching Allowance for Half-Time Programs: As introduced at Price range 2025, beginning early 2026, eligible people enterprise chosen part-time programs can obtain a hard and fast allowance of $300 per thirty days to assist defray studying bills.
- Eligible people can obtain a most of 24 months of coaching allowance below the SkillsFuture Mid-Profession Coaching Allowance, whether or not they pursue full-time or part-time coaching.
For example, maybe you’re employed in finance and also you’re making an attempt to be taught AI to use to your work. Utilizing your SkillsFuture Credit score for a course just like the one under might considerably cut back your price of research:
Or maybe you’re making an attempt to pivot to the healthcare trade (which my sister did), so that you could serve and assist deal with the rising ageing inhabitants in Singapore – a significant side of care that requires a human contact and understanding past the capabilities of AI.
There are numerous programs out there so that you can use your SkillsFuture Credit score on, so you could browse the web site to search out what fits you finest.
Be aware: For those who have been between the ages of 25 and 39 years outdated in 2020, you’ll have obtained $1,000 SkillsFuture Credit score in whole, of which $500 will expire on 31 December 2025. I used mine in 2023 to review for a licence associated to my trade which I’ve all the time wished, and the SkillsFuture Credit score got here in helpful because it decreased the price for me.
Whenever you flip 40, you’ll qualify for an extra $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit score (Mid-Profession) top-up to additional assist your upskilling wants.
So long as you place your self strategically to choose up the brand new in-demand abilities that employers search, price doesn’t should be a limiting issue.
There’ll all the time be methods to faucet on such authorities schemes to assist us subsidise or finance our studying charges.
Workforce Transformation is important, too
To stay aggressive, employers may even have to adapt and remodel their workforce, and undertake AI applied sciences to make their enterprise extra environment friendly.
To assist corporations alter, a number of initiatives have been introduced:
- A brand new SkillsFuture Workforce Growth Grantwhich streamlines present workforce transformation schemes and supplies larger funding assist of as much as 70% for job redesign actions.
- A redesigned SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit score: to assist employers defray the out-of-pocket prices for workforce transformation upfront as a substitute of getting to spend first and look forward to reimbursement. All corporations with not less than 3 resident workers will get a recent $10,000 on this redesigned credit score from the second half of 2026.
- $200 million for NTUC’s Firm Coaching Committee grant: the grant may even be expanded to assist employer-led coaching that results in formal {qualifications} or certifications.
In embracing AI, one of many initiatives my employer applied was to introduce automated AI note-taking to scale back the necessity for us to put in writing post-meeting minutes. Concurrently, it enabled those that missed the precise conferences to catch up in a jiffy!
For example, in the event you’re in a enterprise dealing with items, maybe you’ll prefer to implement automation know-how in order that much less time is spent manually monitoring stock to concentrate on serving clients higher.
Take Actionable Steps to Future-Proof Our Profession
I actually imagine that after we stand within the face of challenges, our outlook could make a marked distinction to our psychological well being and decide how we adapt.
We are able to both fret over how AI is “stealing our jobs”, or concentrate on turning into the employee who is aware of how one can use AI instruments for higher output than what our colleagues and friends can do.
Listed below are some actionable steps you possibly can take into account taking:
- Assess your present abilities gaps: Establish areas the place AI might influence your position and trade, learn up on the most recent instruments and watch tutorial movies of how one can use them.
- Discover related programs: With SkillsFuture Credit score given to all Singaporeans aged 25 and above, you possibly can enrol in programs that align with rising trade traits and calls for. Contemplate making use of for the month-to-month coaching allowances to defray your bills additional.
- Combine AI to finish your present duties: One of the best ways to grasp a ability is thru apply. Attempt leveraging free AI instruments for a begin. It might take you somewhat longer at first, however with sufficient apply, you’ll finally discover that AI can prevent time and improve the depth of your experience.
As an alternative of making an attempt to stay to our previously-established methods of labor and lamenting how “the nice outdated days are gone”, I want to channel my consideration to in search of out alternatives within the new paradigm of labor.
What’s extra, even DBS has introduced that it expects to create 1,000 new AI-related jobs. This shift might be a chance for the employee who’s keen to choose up new AI instruments and apply for these new roles. The wage calls for for these roles are more likely to be larger as properly.
Conclusion: Adapt and Thrive
Whereas AI presents challenges, it additionally affords alternatives for progress and revolutionary pondering. AI instruments have already helped to hurry up a few of our work processes. Those that discover ways to leverage these instruments will turn out to be extra aggressive sooner or later, so you actually don’t need to be falling behind with the instances.
We can not cease the waves of technological modifications from disrupting our industries, however we will select to proactively upskill ourselves in order that we’re outfitted to make use of these new instruments – to supply even higher work than earlier than.
The selection is as much as us.
Disclosure: This text is dropped at you in partnership with the Ministry of Finance.
