DUBAI, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Experts at the annual Global Education and Skills Forum noted Saturday that human skills are irreplaceable despite rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet usage.
As artificial intelligence (AI), the "internet of things" and robotics began to take human-level tasks, human skills, for example, to switch between languages or the ability to negotiate only become more important, experts said.
At the annual Global Education and Skills Forum, Saadia Zahidi, a Member of the Executive Committee, said survey among academics and human resources managers showed that by 2020, human skills will be more demanded than today, "such as cultural skills, emotional intelligence or oral skills."
Zahidi added that skills like working as a team and collaborating would rise in significance for workers across all sectors.
"Robots and the internet are exactly not able to do so in an agile manner, but humans are," she said.
However, she warned that the focus on human skills development shall not only be on the curriculum of universities and schools, "as there are 3 billion people in the existing workforce globally who have to be trained."
Omar Al-Madhi, senior managing director of Abdul Latif Jameel Investments, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, added that human skills development and the implementation of AI and internet of things must go hand in hand "in order to transform the oil-based Arab economies into knowledge-based diversified economies."
However, he warned of putting governments "into the driver seats" when it comes to promoting the fourth industrial revolution in the working world.
"Innovation and the digital revolution has to be implemented by the private sector, governments shall only play the role as catalysts," he said.
