AI will not replace you because...

Sayings become the norm very quickly and nowhere does this seem more apparent than when it relates to education and/or employment. One of the most oft heard phrases at the moment is a variant of:

AI will not replace you but a person with AI skills will

Let me declare right now I wholeheartedly believe that to be the truth. It is an important message to spread to my colleagues, the students I work and the wider community. However, it requires extensive unpacking for most people to understand what they can and should do to function in an #ai assisted world.

Although there is a lot of speculation here, history to date suggests that the five conditions where AI will not replace you, are where you:

1. Develop confidence, experience and skills in using AI tools and working with the technology. You develop understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the systems at your disposable, becoming proficient with the interfaces and the nuances.
2. Have skills that AI cannot replicate or improve. These skills play into areas that AI knows it is not particularly good at (and it will know this when it becomes as advanced as humans)
3. Are a confident user and architect of AI, shaping its reach into the areas where you know it augments what you do and how you do it. You see it as a digital servant
4. Establish goals or criteria for success and map out the areas where you want AI to operate. This is closely linked to point 3 above
5. Hold firm to the belief in human capacity to excel and flourish in areas that no other living beings can function

If we spread these kind of messages, I believe it starts to dispel a lot of the fears of AI and helps people to understand what is important where human beings can prosper in the AC (After #chatgpt) era.