What Pichai Said About the AI Revolution
Sundar Pichai thinks we are on the verge of a larger shift than the internet and mobile revolutions combined. AI is at the heart of this disruption but rather than technical skills like machine learning or data science, he is seeing roles that connect human problem-solving with AI tools. These will be the roles open source, help manage and ethically deploy artificial intelligence tools.
“I think the future will be for people who can work with AI as opposed to just building AI.” said Pichai at a fireside chat at Google I/O.
The #1 Career: AI-Augmented Product Management
According SUndar Pichai it appears that the career path that best prepares people for the AI-assisted future is PM (product management) with AI capabilities. Why?
- The role of PM is fundamentally focused on turning human problems into technology-based solutions to put AI into practice.
- In addition to managing tech, PMs are working with ethical frameworks around technology and looking after user experiences - all human skill sets such as storytelling, empathy, fairness and ethics.
- As Pichai's research indicates, skills for critical thinking, team management, empathy, and ethical judgement are increasingly valuable in today's world.
8 Career-Boosting Tips from Pichai
Pichai shared eight important steps to ensure the future of your career:
- Don't just manage automation; build it.
- Embrace human-only zones, in which the individual is more important than the process.
- Learn the language of AI and speak machine fluently.
- Think like a product manager.
- Become the in-house ethicist.
- Lead hybrid human-AI teams.
- Be outspoken in the public debate on technology.
- Collaborate with AI, rather than compete.