Exploring AI Skills: The Crucial Role of Critical Thinking and Communication Skills

The Current State of AI Adoption: Unveiling Opportunities and Challenges

Our recent survey provides valuable insights into the current landscape of AI adoption among employees. Surprisingly, although 38% of respondents have heard of AI, they have never used it in their work. This finding might be due to a knowledge gap: One in three employees lacks a comprehensive understanding of how AI can be applied in their respective fields, with also over one third of employees reporting having the necessary skills to effectively leverage AI tools. Merely 5% of individuals harness the power of AI on a daily basis, illustrating a substantial untapped potential. Bridging this gap calls for strategic upskilling initiatives that equip individuals with the confidence to navigate AI-powered technologies.

The 5 Most Important AI Skills

In our quest to identify the most important AI skills, we first curated a list of potential AI skills based on our research and industry insights. With the list in hand, we seized the opportunity to tap into the intelligence of ChatGPT and asked it to rank the following skills:

1. Critical Thinking

The ability to evaluate information and make well-reasoned judgments.

The integration of AI tools like ChatGPT can greatly benefit our daily work. Nevertheless, it is crucial for users to exercise critical thinking. The tools can sometimes reference invented research papers or articles by nonexistent journalists. No wonder, that the importance of critical thinking has become increasingly paramount. Recent research investigating the opportunities and challenges of Large Language Models (LLMs) has underscored the necessity of companies emphasizing critical thinking and strategies for fact checking. It helps in assessing the AI's recommendations, identifying potential biases, recognizing limitations, and making informed decisions based on the context and goals.

According to our survey findings, 34% of employees expressed a high level of confidence in their critical thinking abilities. Interestingly, German respondents rated their critical thinking skills most positively compared to other skills, as well as respondents from the UK.

2. Communication Skills

The ability to convey information clearly and effectively to target audiences, using appropriate language, tone, and different types of media.

In 2019, the OECD recognized communication skills as a top priority for employees to acquire in preparation for the workforce in 2030. Communication skills play a pivotal role in interpreting and contextualizing AI-generated outputs. ChatGPT, as a language model, may sometimes produce responses that are technically correct but lack context or sensitivity. Effective communication skills enable individuals to bridge the gap between the AI's output and the intended message, ensuring that the information is conveyed accurately and meaningfully to the target audience.

Interestingly, according to our survey, 30% of employees expressed a high level of confidence in their communication skills, rating it more positively than other skills like data and digital proficiency.

3. Data Analysis and Interpretation

The ability to work with data to draw insights and make informed decisions, including basic statistics and analysis.

The total amount of data created, captured, copied, and consumed globally is increasing rapidly, reaching 64.2 zattabytes in 2020. This number is even expected to triple until 2025. AI is going to help us convert raw data into useful insights. However, it will still be crucial to be able to derive meaningful information from data, analyze it and understand what the data means.

The findings of our survey raise concerns, revealing that employees in Germany and the UK exhibit the least confidence in data analysis skills. Only 21% of respondents rate their proficiency at a high level, with a significant 79% acknowledging room for improvement.

4. Adaptability

The ability to learn and adjust to new tools, work processes, and technologies.

Resources dedicated to AI development are increasing substantially leading to rapid advances, new algorithms, models, and frameworks. With the exponential growth of data and computational power, AI has propelled further forward. Therefore, adaptability is essential when using AI to keep pace with technological advancements.

Respondents from both countries rated their adaptability on third place. In total, 27 % of respondents rated their adaptability at a high level.

5. Digital Literacy

The ability to effectively use digital tools such as online searches and communicate information via digital channels.

Finally, digital literacy is a critical competency for employment in the twenty-first century. Digital literacy helps individuals comprehend how AI systems work, their capabilities, and limitations. It enables users to have a basic understanding of the underlying algorithms, data processing, and decision-making processes of AI systems. This knowledge empowers users to make informed decisions about using AI tools and platforms.

German as well as British respondents see room for improvement in their level of digital literacy. Only 22 % of respondents rate their ability to effectively use digital tools at a high level.

Unveiling the Crucial Role of Critical Thinking and Communication Skills in Using AI Effectively

The results indicate a potential gap in participants’ understanding of essential skills for leveraging AI effectively, namely critical thinking and communication skills. While critical thinking and communication skills were ranked fifth and third in importance in the UK, German respondents ranked these skills fourth and third. However, the fact that it is precisely these skills that are the strongest according to self-assessment can still be seen as positive and could indicate that employees are better equipped for the widespread introduction of AI than they realize.

Building Digital Competence: Germans and British Recognize Gaps in Digital Literacy and Data Analysis Skills

Our survey results from Germany and the UK highlight a concerning trend: Participants in both countries acknowledge weaknesses in their digital literacy and data analysis and interpretation skills.

Empowering Employees for AI Success

To improve AI skills in the workplace, companies can focus on several key areas:

Enhancing Skills through Training and Development

Investing in employees' development is key. Companies can provide training programs that teach the general principles of critical thinking, integrating them with the relevant AI tools. Additionally, offering communication theory classes can enhance employees' communication abilities. Comprehensive data analysis training should be provided to enable employees to collect, interpret, and derive meaningful insights from data sets. It's crucial to consider the varying age groups and experiences of employees, tailoring trainings to meet their specific needs.

Building a Culture of Learning and Collaboration

Creating an environment that values diverse perspectives, encourages questioning assumptions, and promotes evidence-based decision-making is essential. Companies should foster a safe and feedback-rich environment where employees can practice and refine their communication competencies. Encouraging a learning culture that embraces new technologies and promotes continuous upskilling is also vital. This can be achieved through initiatives such as providing resources, workshops, and online courses to help employees adapt to and leverage new technological advancements.

About the Study

We are currently experiencing the next big revolution in the labor market. And we are all part of it: Artificial intelligence will fundamentally change the world of work as we know it. Automation, increased efficiency, and new employment opportunities are just some of the expected effects. What opportunities does AI offer the working world in Germany and how do employees view the use of AI? These and other questions were investigated by The Stepstone Group in an online survey. More than 3,000 people took part in the survey in Germany from mid-May to early June 2023. Of these, about 24 % have leadership responsibilities, while about 19 % are in recruiting. The results are representative of the workforce in Germany. The survey in the UK was conducted by The Stepstone Group’s subsidiary Totaljobs with 2,000 people from late April to early May 2023 and is also representative of the workforce.