Microsoft | Naria: Helping People Develop New Job Skills

2024-05-16 11:12:40

On May 9th, the 2024 UN STI Forum DigiBridge Digital Talent Development Side Event, one of the key side events of the United Nations STI Forum, was successfully held.

The event invited Naria K. Santa Lucia, Director of Digital Inclusion at the Microsoft Philanthropies, to give a keynote titled "Helping People Develop New Job Skills." In her speech, Naria deeply explored how AI is reshaping work models and revealing new opportunities. She emphasized the significance of skills training for underprivileged groups, embodying the dual identities of a technology practitioner and a social justice advocate.

1. AI Will Be Part of Every Job

Naria first proposed that AI is no longer a distant future technology; it has become an indispensable part of the daily workplace. She cited Microsoft's latest data, showing that 75% of employees have already used AI in their work, a significant increase from 46% just six months ago. In educational settings, teachers are using generative AI assistants to handle parent inquiries, successfully saving time and allowing them to focus more on core educational tasks. This reveals the rapidly growing demand for proficiency in AI operations.

Naria believes that in the future, every profession will require mastering a certain degree of AI application to optimize workflows through the use of AI tools.

2. Generative AI Driving Changes in Technology and Work

During her speech, Naria leveraged LinkedIn's Economic Graph to provide an in-depth analysis of AI's multidimensional impact on skills: It not only enhances 8% of educational skills, such as effectively reducing teachers' daily burden of answering inquiries through AI teaching assistants, but also challenges 47% of traditional skills that face the risk of being replaced. At the same time, 45% of human-centric core skills, such as empathetic communication and personalized teaching guidance, demonstrate limits that AI cannot surpass, retaining their unique value. She pointed out that while AI is reshaping workplace skills, it is also giving rise to new opportunities and efficiency gains.

Naria observed that in the context of rapid AI technological development, women and younger generations are particularly vulnerable to the impact of changing skill structures. She emphasized the need to adopt targeted training measures to enable them to transition from passive adaptation to becoming the driving force actively leading technological change.

Naria emphasized that despite the rapid pace of technological progress, those "power skills" deeply rooted in human nature, including flexibility, social cognition, professional ethics, and effective communication, still firmly maintain their core position. These skills complement AI capabilities, developing in tandem. This insight reminds us that in addition to pursuing proficiency in AI applications, we should prioritize cultivating those horizontal skills that cannot be replicated by machines, building a comprehensive and future-oriented skill ecosystem.

3. Microsoft Helps People Develop New Job Skills

Naria introduced that as one of the creators of large language models, Microsoft is dedicated to helping individuals and organizations master AI tools and promoting global AI talent development through initiatives such as providing free courses, certifications, and collaborative projects. These efforts empower developers and leaders to apply AI responsibly on a global scale.

Finally, Naria expressed her deep gratitude to WDTA for providing this opportunity for exchange, and she praised DigiBridge as a pioneer in global digital education transformation, precisely responding to the urgent global need for digital technology education. She highly commended WDTA's core role in driving educational change and saw great potential for collaboration between Microsoft and WDTA. Microsoft is eager to establish a close partnership with WDTA to provide free high-quality educational resources, certification pathways, and practical platforms, especially in cutting-edge courses on the integration of generative AI education and productivity, as well as comprehensive soft skills training, contributing Microsoft's expertise and content resources.

The 2024 UN STI Forum DigiBridge Digital Talent Development Side Event, hosted by the World Digital Technology Academy (WDTA), was a resounding success. It not only expanded global digital technology education but also advanced the cultivation of innovation capabilities and adaptability necessary for the digital societal transformation. The event laid the foundation for an inclusive and efficient enhancement of global education, painting a fresh blueprint for the future of global digital education and ushering in a new era for international education.