AI Literacy Meets Design Thinking Skills
Dear book community -
There is one question around AI that I get asked a lot these days - and it happens to intersect with a chapter in my upcoming book on Design Thinking for HR. I thought I’d share the question with you here and respond with my take on it. Curious to hear what you think.
Here is the question:
How can we proactively identify workforce skills needed when the AI evolution is rapid and ambiguous?
I previously shared a blueprint for how to map future skills – design thinking style which you might find helpful.
When it comes to specific skills, I believe that the power combo of a digital mindset and design thinking competencies are the engines of the AI evolution.
Digital mindset: In the book The Digital Mindset, authors Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley define the concept as “the set of approaches we use to make sense of, and make use of, data and technology.” Good news for the rest of us: Based on their research, we don’t all have to become computer scientists to develop a digital mindset. The “30 percent rule” of mastery applies when it comes to areas ranging from human-machine collaboration to data and analytics. Sometimes, the term “AI literacy” is used as well. What does it mean? I find AI Literacy Architect Stella Lee’s “AI Literacy Framework” a helpful way to articulate the components of the concept.
Design thinking competencies: The World Economic Forum highlights the enduring importance of human traits that are central to design thinking and essential in an AI-driven world. Investing in these human attributes provides strategic advantages, such as fostering an adaptive, growth-minded workforce essential for thriving amid constant disruption.
I believe that when we up-skill employees in design thinking (incl. curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity), we turn them into better AI thinking partners. In my upcoming book, I will share a design thinking competency model and ways you can embed it inside your organization. [Note: If you upgrade to the early readers’ level you get early access to this framework.]
A human-centric way to cultivate these mindsets and competencies is to build an internal AI Community of Practice where employees get a change to hone their digital/design thinking mindsets and build general AI literacy in a safe space with peers.
Cheers,