Top 10 Insights 2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is impacting skills and jobs. While the increasing use of AI offers potential across all jobs, changes must be carefully managed. AI also means digital skills are becoming more important across all jobs.
Many professionals, like Ammaleah Astruc, Internal Marketing Officer at KFC (below) are already using or experimenting with it in their work.
However, AI adoption varies significantly among training providers and industries, hindered by fragmented regulations, policies and ongoing ethical concerns.
Stakeholders say they find many small businesses are generally struggling with the adoption of AI while reporting that the finance sector is undergoing the most substantial shifts.
As AI technology evolves and advancements in emerging technologies such as quantum computing continue, the broader impact of AI on productivity and skills requirements remains largely unknown. Its potential to enhance productivity is not yet fully realised. Understanding how best to realise the potential from the AI opportunity requires close collaboration across employers, employees, and training providers.
Transforming insights into Action
FSO will continue to build on the 2024 program of AI research. We will continue to monitor our sectors to understand how generative AI adoption is reshaping tasks and skills across industries and we will explore what influences the adoption of generative AI among different groups of workers.
AI helps take away hours of data analytics
For Ammaleah Astruc, KFC has always been part of the family. “When I turned fourteen, I started working at the store where my parents met,” she said.
Today, with the help of vocational education and training (VET) she’s gone from talking to customers at the drive-thru to being the firm’s Internal Marketing Manager, keeping 65,000 KFC team members updated on new monthly promotions.
“I never imagined the pace of change. Food tastes evolve, our customer experience constantly improves and the way I work has already changed, particularly due to AI.
“I’m finding AI is transforming how I work with data and improving efficiency when it comes to repetitive tasks.”
“One way that AI is making my role just that bit easier is when I am compiling analytics for all my content. The task would usually have taken me hours to complete, and it is now only taking me a few minutes,” she said.
“Education goes beyond teaching how to use AI tools; it encompasses discussions about plagiarism, intellectual property, and copyright. Working with tech partners and industry is also crucial to show how generative AI is used in workplaces.”
Cherie Diaz, Executive Director, Education Innovation, Western Sydney University
What we’ve learned from our expert stakeholders
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64% using it for work, 33% daily
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50% not had any training from their workplace
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30% of women, 25% of men say a lack of skills or training is key barrier to adoption
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86% are interested in training
Sources: FSO Stakeholder Survey; Mandala analysis of survey of FSO members and SMBs on Ai usage in the workplace
