Given the concern that many professionals have had about the possibility of AI ( Artificial Intelligence ) replacing their jobs, in most cases it is an unfounded concern that has a solution. All disruptive technologies have had the same kind of concern about job loss , from horse-drawn carriage drivers to the introduction of the combustion vehicle; to the hundreds of artisan weavers in England, with the introduction of mechanized looms of the industrial revolution.
For starters , chatGPT is a chatbot that can help with automating mundane tasks and providing answers to simple questions. However, it will not be able to replace the experience and knowledge acquired by the majority of professionals in different fields.
What AI is likely to replace are repetitive tasks like data entry and simple analysis. In this sense, professionals must acquire new knowledge and enhance learning by leveraging the available tools that allow them to extract the greatest amount of added value from their activities.
In the end, with the freeing up of time, sourcing and finance professionals will be able to focus their time on activities that IA cannot yet perform, such as developing strategic plans and making assertive decisions in a timely manner.
What skills to focus on?
Specifically, there are 3 skills where supply professionals can focus to acquire new strengths:
- Data analysis and recommendations
Supply chain professionals need to be able to analyze data to make decisions and develop strategies. Likewise, they must be able to interpret the data to identify trends and opportunities to inform their recommendations. Example: start training with Power BI, understand the problem, collect the data, clean it, explore it and most importantly analyze and interpret it to generate recommendations.
- Project management
Supply chain professionals must be able to manage projects and initiatives, ensuring timely fulfillment and in accordance with assigned budgets. In the same way, they must ensure that all the actors involved – stakeholders – are working together to obtain the expected results. Example: gain experience by getting involved in new company projects and initiatives from their inception to their completion, which involves improving assertive communication and taking related courses.
- Strategic thinking
Purchasing and finance professionals must be able to think critically and strategically , to be able to anticipate the vicissitudes and interruptions they may face. They must have the foresight in developing strategies and plans that allow for a successful supply chain. Example: asking questions, analyzing arguments, evaluating evidence, making connections between people and knowledge, and reading about various topics.
From an aggregate perspective, workers who acquire new skills and knowledge on these 3 fronts will be able to refocus on higher value-added activities , where the supply and demand labor market will better reward those who decide to make the effort.
History shows us how the introduction of disruptive technologies makes the economy as a whole grow, where a few thousand jobs become obsolete but have the opportunity to be replaced by hundreds of thousands of jobs that would generate better quality. of life to those who occupy them.
P.S. The 3 skills announced in this blog were an adaptation of the recommendations made by ChatGPT.
