Is AI actually taking up my job?
A number of years in the past, I by no means thought robots would come for the inventive trade. However right here I’m, a author who constructed my profession by way of phrases, now staring down the truth that synthetic intelligence (AI) can churn out articles in seconds — and totally free.
Inside a number of months of ChatGPT’s launch, generative AI grew to become much more superior, now able to churning out photos, movies and even music. My finest good friend, who drew the long-lasting Price range Babe graphic that you just guys have seen on this weblog for the final decade, spent shut to twenty years honing her inventive illustration expertise. However right now, 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 may need even tried it out lately, while you generated your personal Studio Ghibli-styled photos on ChatGPT recently.
Supply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8b2wnUi1UU
The expertise has superior past simply nonetheless textual content or photos. Instruments like HeyGen and Synthesia now lets you create movies with out even filming them your self, and have your avatar communicate in over 100+ overseas languages to achieve a wider viewers.
However worrying about AI taking up our jobs won’t assist us to cease the waves of change.
As a substitute, we will discover ways to surf and experience these waves to welcome the long run.
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 employees who’re unable to replace their expertise as wanted find yourself dealing with wage stagnation, whereas employers concurrently complain that not sufficient employees possess the mandatory expertise.
So in right now’s context, meaning:
- embracing AI,
- studying tips on how to work with AI instruments, and
- consistently upgrading our expertise to stay related.
That’s the reason amidst my busy schedule, I’ve taken time to study – and apply – utilizing AI instruments to jot down and generate my content material sooner. Because of ChatGPT, I now not endure 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 tips on how to 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 help our studying.
Lifelong Studying is extra important than ever earlier than
The Authorities’s latest Budgets rolled out vital enhancements to the SkillsFuture initiative. Specifically, the SkillsFuture Stage-Up Programme (SFLP) for Singaporeans aged 40 years and above gives:
- A SkillsFuture Credit score (Mid-Profession) Prime-Up, which gives an extra $4,000 credit score to offset course charges for over 7,000 chosen programs geared toward enhancing 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 30 days to assist defray studying bills.
- Eligible people can obtain a most of 24 months of coaching allowance underneath 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 attempting to study AI to use to your work. Utilizing your SkillsFuture Credit score for a course just like the one under might considerably cut back your value of examine:
Or maybe you’re attempting 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 facet 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.
Word: For those who had been between the ages of 25 and 39 years outdated in 2020, you’ll have acquired $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 at all times wished, and the SkillsFuture Credit score got here in useful because it decreased the fee for me.
If you flip 40, you’ll qualify for an extra $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit score (Mid-Profession) top-up to additional help your upskilling wants.
So long as you place your self strategically to select up the brand new in-demand expertise that employers search, value doesn’t should be a limiting issue.
There’ll at all times be methods to faucet on such authorities schemes to assist us subsidise or finance our studying charges.
Workforce Transformation is essential, too
To stay aggressive, employers can even must adapt and remodel their workforce, and undertake AI applied sciences to make their enterprise extra environment friendly.
To assist companies regulate, a number of initiatives had been introduced:
- A brand new SkillsFuture Workforce Growth Grant, which streamlines present workforce transformation schemes and gives increased funding help 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 an alternative of getting to spend first and look forward to reimbursement. All firms 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 can even be expanded to help employer-led coaching that results in formal {qualifications} or certifications.
In embracing AI, one of many initiatives my employer carried out was to introduce automated AI note-taking to scale back the necessity for us to jot down post-meeting minutes. Concurrently, it enabled those that missed the precise conferences to catch up in a jiffy!
For example, in case you’re in a enterprise dealing with items, maybe you’ll prefer to implement automation expertise in order that much less time is spent manually monitoring stock to deal with serving prospects higher.
Take Actionable Steps to Future-Proof Our Profession
I really consider 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 will both fret over how AI is “stealing our jobs”, or deal with turning into the employee who is aware of tips on how to use AI instruments for higher output than what our colleagues and friends can do.
Listed below are some actionable steps you’ll be able to contemplate taking:
- Assess your present expertise gaps: Determine areas the place AI might influence your position and trade, learn up on the newest instruments and watch tutorial movies of tips on how to use them.
- Discover related programs: With SkillsFuture Credit score given to all Singaporeans aged 25 and above, you’ll be able to enrol in programs that align with rising trade tendencies and calls for. Think about 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 talent is thru apply. Attempt leveraging free AI instruments for a begin. It might take you a bit of longer at first, however with sufficient apply, you’ll finally discover that AI can prevent time and improve the depth of your experience.
As a substitute of attempting to stay to our previously-established methods of labor and lamenting how “the great outdated days are gone”, I choose to channel my consideration to searching for 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 could possibly be a possibility for the employee who’s keen to select up new AI instruments and apply for these new roles. The wage calls for for these roles are more likely to be increased as properly.
Conclusion: Adapt and Thrive
Whereas AI presents challenges, it additionally gives alternatives for development and progressive considering. AI instruments have already helped to hurry up a few of our work processes. Those that discover ways to leverage these instruments will develop into extra aggressive sooner or later, so you actually don’t need to be falling behind with the instances.
We can’t cease the waves of technological adjustments from disrupting our industries, however we will select to proactively upskill ourselves in order that we’re geared up 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 delivered to you in partnership with the Ministry of Finance.
