Reshaping Work: AI's Revolution in Skills & Opportunity

In our debut episode of the Embedded podcast, host Zain Verjee is joined by Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn's Chief Economic Opportunity Officer, for a discussion about the future of work in the AI era.  He discusses the trends he's been witnessing since the AI boom and breaks down some of the skills and qualities that will be most valuable for employers in an AI economy.   How can AI be leveraged to create more efficient and personalised systems to match opportunity more effectively with with skills?  What will the impact of AI be on jobs?  And how can we create a more equitable work environment, addressing existing biases and lowering barriers to entrepreneurship for marginalised groups? We tackle the crunchy questions on Embedded.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction and welcome

• Introduction of Aneesh Raman

  
  



• Background at CNN and current role at LinkedIn

  
  

01:02 - AI's Impact on Work: The Four Transformations

• Disruption in the workplace

  
  



• Job transformation statistics

  
  



• Evolution of new job categories

  
  



• Emergence of new economy

  
  

03:45 - The Rise of Soft Skills

• Why human skills matter

  
  



• AI's limitations with EQ

  
  



• Future of empathy training

  
  



• Importance of curiosity and compassion

  
  

05:11 - Redefining Skills in Communications

• Moving beyond job titles

  
  



• Value of communication skills

  
  



• Importance of storytelling

  
  



• Building your story of self

  
  

06:57 - The Future of Hiring

• Changes in recruitment

  
  



• Evolution of credential systems

  
  



• AI as both force and tool for change

  
  



• Timeline for systemic changes

  
  

09:19 - AI and Equity

• Status quo problems

  
  



• Opportunity for systemic reset

  
  



• Rise of relationship economy

  
  



• Value of marginalized groups' skills

  
  

13:11 - AI in Emerging Markets

• Focus on Africa

  
  



• Infrastructure challenges

  
  



• Connectivity solutions

  
  



• Personalized learning opportunities

  
  

16:46 - The Future of Journalism

• Challenges for newsrooms

  
  



• Evolution from reporting to analysis

  
  



• Role of solutions journalism

  
  



• Impact of misinformation

  
  

22:38 - Personal Reflections

24:31 - Closing Thoughts

About Our Guest

A former CNN war correspondent and speechwriter to President Barack Obama, Raman is an experienced communicator, focusing his career in recent years on the expansion of economic opportunity. He is currently Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn. His focus now seems to be expanding economic opportunities through new skills and creating better workforces. At LinkedIn, Raman is leading an effort to help build a more efficient and equitable labour market by engaging with leaders from the public and private sector. His work centres around making skills-first thinking mainstream in talent management, which is a priority for LinkedIn.

Connect With Aneesh

LinkedIn: Aneesh Raman

Aneesh’s Previous Work

• NYT Opinion: When Your Technical Skills Are Eclipsed, Your Humanity Will Matter More Than Ever

  
  

• Fortune: LinkedIn’s resident workplace expert says the push for upskilling must have an emotional component

  
  

• Business Insider Africa: Obama's best career advice was to follow your passions rather than a job title, an ex-White House speechwriter said

  
  

• LinkedIn VP warns humans to keep learning in AI era

  
  

Connect With Embedded

• Website: www.therundown.studio

  
  



• Twitter: @EmbeddedPod

  
  



• LinkedIn: 

  
  



• Host: @Zain_Verjee

  
  

Next Episode

Join us next week for "Ethics by Design: Building Equitable AI Systems" with Rashida Richardson, Senior Counsel at Mastercard, as we explore the crucial intersection of AI ethics and system design.

Embedded is a production of The Rundown Studio. For more insights on AI's impact on emerging markets, visit www.therundown.studio

#AI #FutureOfWork #EmergingMarkets #Skills #LinkedIn #AfricanTech #WorkforceTransformation