Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are occurring at an unprecedented rate, garnering countless headlines and sparking concerns about the transformative effects of new technologies, especially in the workplace. While some commentators fear large-scale displacement of human labor across society, most experts believe AI will augment human labor and change workers’ roles and responsibilities. Consequently, while AI likely won’t eliminate the need for human labor altogether, it will change the way humans work and the skills needed to succeed. Skills like working well in teams, communicating effectively, and thinking creatively, broadly known as “soft skills,” are becoming more important than ever. Fortunately, there is an easy, accessible way to help develop these skills from an early age: free play.
Soft skills, sometimes called non-cognitive skills, social-emotional skills, and character skills, refer to a range of behaviors, attitudes, and personal qualities that enable people to effectively navigate their environments, work well with others, self-regulate, and achieve their goals. Unsurprisingly, the need for soft skills isn’t new. As we shifted from primarily producing goods to a service-based economy, the need for physical strength and tolerance for repetition began to be replaced by the need for better communication skills and social intelligence. Now, with AI poised to eliminate the more routinized aspects of modern work, the shift toward soft skills, with its emphasis on teamwork, interpersonal skills, and creative thinking, will only accelerate. Focusing on soft skills and how best to cultivate them is an essential task as new generations of workers enter a vastly different kind of workplace.
Because these skills are fundamentally social in nature, they are developed early and build upon each other over time. Indeed, research is clear that the family is the most important early incubator of soft skills and lays the foundation for future improvement. In addition to the family, early social environments are a key cultivator of soft skills, particularly among peer groups. This is where free play becomes important.
Continue reading at Real Clear Policy.
Ben Wilterdink is the former Director of Programs at the Archbridge Institute. Follow him @bgwilterdink.
Economics of Flourishing
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are occurring at an unprecedented rate, garnering countless headlines and sparking concerns about the transformative effects of new technologies, especially in the workplace. While some commentators fear large-scale displacement of human labor across society, most experts believe AI will augment human labor and change workers’ roles and responsibilities. Consequently, while AI likely won’t eliminate the need for human labor altogether, it will change the way humans work and the skills needed to succeed. Skills like working well in teams, communicating effectively, and thinking creatively, broadly known as “soft skills,” are becoming more important than ever. Fortunately, there is an easy, accessible way to help develop these skills from an early age: free play.
Soft skills, sometimes called non-cognitive skills, social-emotional skills, and character skills, refer to a range of behaviors, attitudes, and personal qualities that enable people to effectively navigate their environments, work well with others, self-regulate, and achieve their goals. Unsurprisingly, the need for soft skills isn’t new. As we shifted from primarily producing goods to a service-based economy, the need for physical strength and tolerance for repetition began to be replaced by the need for better communication skills and social intelligence. Now, with AI poised to eliminate the more routinized aspects of modern work, the shift toward soft skills, with its emphasis on teamwork, interpersonal skills, and creative thinking, will only accelerate. Focusing on soft skills and how best to cultivate them is an essential task as new generations of workers enter a vastly different kind of workplace.
Because these skills are fundamentally social in nature, they are developed early and build upon each other over time. Indeed, research is clear that the family is the most important early incubator of soft skills and lays the foundation for future improvement. In addition to the family, early social environments are a key cultivator of soft skills, particularly among peer groups. This is where free play becomes important.
Continue reading at Real Clear Policy.
Ben Wilterdink
Ben Wilterdink is the former Director of Programs at the Archbridge Institute. Follow him @bgwilterdink.
Share:
Related Posts
Shapiro’s licensing reforms deserve attention this election season
No License? No Problem
Free Professionals From Regulatory Tangle