3 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
AI ‘Must be Matched With Action' to Prepare the Workforce for the Future
Business leaders are calling for more coordinated action to ensure that the workforce in Wales is ready for the changes that AI is bringing to the workplace.
Speaking on episode two of the DeeplearnHS podcast series, Chris Butt, CEO and Founder of DeepLearnHS, said that AI is now being widely used in the context of work to identify patterns in data, analyse skills, and match people with training or job opportunities. But he stressed that technology should not be seen as a replacement for human involvement in learning.
'There are obvious good things that AI can do for personal and professional development, particularly with skills,' said Chris.
'But there are some things that humans simply have to do and be part of the process. Empathy, social judgement, care, context, nuance – these are things AI will naturally struggle with.'
He said the real opportunity now lies in using AI to reshape education and training into a lifelong process – one that allows individuals to dip in and out of learning across their careers.
'From everything we know about neuroscience and the brain, keeping it active and continuously challenged is a positive thing. I see a time when we've completely reshaped the education system to reflect that,' he added.
Rhys Morris, Managing Director of The BUSY Group, agreed that the benefits of AI in skills and employability settings were becoming clearer, particularly its ability to speed up early-stage analysis in support programmes. But he warned that AI access must not be limited to those in already advantaged areas.
'Unfortunately, those areas of digital poverty map pretty closely to areas of actual poverty and deprivation,' said Rhys.
'There is a real need for a forceful strategy that targets digital poverty so that people don't fall further behind.'
He added that while education settings have an important role to play, the private sector and government both need to step up.
'I think the private sector can play a key role in shaping how AI is used and in preparing young people for the workplace. But government must be the regulator and the advocate, and also act as a barrier-lower in terms of funding,' he said.
Matt Smith, Managing Director of Aspire2Be, said the current focus on AI should not come at the expense of wider digital literacy.
'AI is just one component of a much bigger digital skills challenge,' said Matt.
'We see a huge amount of need in basic digital literacy, in using productivity tools and understanding cyber safety. If we focus too heavily on AI alone, we risk increasing the skills gap further.'
All three agreed that the use of AI in learning needs to be intentional and context-driven.
'AI is the vehicle, but we still have to be the driver,' said Matt.
'It's about how we marry the strengths of technology with the strengths of people – and make sure that no one is left behind in the process.' Listen to episode two of the DeeplearnHS podcast series, AI-Driven Skills Development, Upskilling, and Workforce Adaptation, HERE
