The most important “soft skill” in the AI Era

soft skill

Most people don’t know this, but I hold a master’s degree in psychology. So while I practice marketing as my craft and vocation, I can’t help but view the world through the lens of the mind.

The more I learn about AI, the more fearful I am. It’s not necessarily the “Terminator” kind of fear. I’m fearful that AI is permanently and inexorably re-wiring our human psychology … literally changing us … and there’s no going back.

Doesn’t that make your heart skip a beat?

I love AI. I use it every day. But as I researched and wrote my new book, How AI Changes Your Customers, I learned that humans are:

Abdicating important decisions, even moral decisions, to algorithms.
De-skilling themselves by offloading work to machines.
Often preferring the ease and security of an emotional relationship with a bot over a human.
Opting for quick answers rather than doing the work to actually learn something. One expert characterized this as “self-imposed dementia.”

I have a new grandchild. He is so bright and beautiful. But I can’t help but look at this precious boy and wonder, “What kind of world are you entering, kid?”

I don’t think I am psychologically much different from my grandfather. I’m probably less bored and more stressed. But essentially, the same.

But my baby grandson … I cannot even imagine how the power of AI will change his world, his life, and even his personality. How do we prepare him for this?

Nobody knows for sure, but I think I have one clue.

The most important soft skill

What will be the difference between a person who becomes more capable and powerful with AI versus those who will be withered and consumed by it?

Curiosity.

If you’re a curious person, AI is an intellectual wonderland. It will feed that curiosity and help you bloom into a bigger, bolder, wiser person.

I spend a lot of time outdoors, and I am always asking ChatGPT why a plant grows a certain way, which birds migrate, and what animal made these tracks in the snow. I am learning and growing every day, thanks to AI.

But if you’re not curious, you only want the quick answer with as little effort as possible. You’re not integrating the knowledge. I learned a new word for this: phoresis. When you do the hard work and follow your curiosity, the knowledge sticks with you. That’s phoresis.

Here’s a fact that is amazing and true. Amazon has limited the number of books that a person can self-publish to three per day. That’s a sign of how mindless AI content is overwhelming the publishing industry.

I could have used AI to write my book. But it wouldn’t be me, and I wouldn’t have learned anything. By doing the hard work, I’ve gained a new capability. I have new, ingrained knowledge to help me be a better consultant, speaker, and teacher.

I think my grandson is destined to be curious. His parents are urgent, curious learners. I want to do everything I can to nurture this quality in him because curiosity will be the differentiating quality between those who AI-thrive and those who are AI-crushed.

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