Quick Thoughts on the Value of Work Experience in an AI World?
We have always touted the value of work experience as critical to getting a job. Students in universities are encouraged to do internships to improve their chances of placement. Work experience in the same industry that uses the desired technical or managerial skills, will generally be view positively in hiring decisions.
However, is experience as valuable in a world of AI and data? A core reason experience is valuable is that experienced people can identify patterns that they have seen before. They learn from them. An experienced doctor can “feel” the pattern of symptoms as they may match patterns seen in prior patients. However, with the increasing penetration of AI, there are two manifestations: (1) AI is trained on massive data that includes far more patterns than humans can recognize, and (b) as companies are being digitally transformed, old ways of working become increasingly irrelevant. Both these manifestations suggest that the value of experience may diminish. If true, then does this imply that firms should hire people with little or no experience? Or, does the increasingly digital native generation have the instinct to go straight to technology to address a problem, rather than cognitively engaging with it (let’s just ask ChatGPT!). Does cognitive engagement even matter?
When the world chess champion Kasparov was beaten by IBM’s Deep Blue, there were numerous voices predicting the end of chess – since gaining experience does not matter if it can be overwhelmed by a computer. Yet, chess has never been more popular (with a bit of help from the “Queen’s Gambit”). And many of these enthusiasts are honing their skills with software.
So, we obviously need deeper understanding of how AI can augment jobs – and what kinds of skills matter. If previous experience is discounted for AI-augmented jobs, then it seems that we need critical thinking skills, general creative skills, understanding task orchestration, and an ability to align needs with generative AI. Of course, if AI evolves to completely replace jobs, then those replaced do not need any skills at all.
Varun Grover
George and Boyce Billingsley Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor, Walton College of Business at University of Arkansas
