What Young Professionals Need to Know About Generative AI

New technology is now capable of communicating and making content in ways comparable to humans.

• First, reframe the narrative you’re telling yourself. AI will not steal your job — it will empower you to think bigger. Generative AI can save you time, no matter what field you work in. It can create content for marketing, forecast numbers for finance, or code for software developers. Publicists can use it write press releases. Health professionals can even use it to improve their diagnosis. You, the worker, are still in charge, you just have more freedom to strategize, think big, and excel.

• The key is not just understanding how generative AI works, but what it can do for you, your job, and your industry. Ask yourself: What tasks drain me? What energizes me? Are there new tools being developed that can take the former off my plate? If this was true, where could I focus my efforts? What new skills could I develop to get ahead? Your answers will help you come up with a strategy around how to take advantage of — as opposed to avoid — new tech. AI is not here to remove you, but to empower you to focus on where you can uniquely add value.

• Lastly, as a precaution, remember that this tech is still in its early stages. You can protect yourself from the downsides by being extra thoughtful and following your intuition — something computers don’t yet have. Don’t accept all the content AI gives you, or blindly trust a bot’s advice. AI can and does perpetuate existing biases.

• Finally, keep in mind that the wealth of information that makes this AI so smart includes your information.When applications are free, you are usually paying with your own data. Before uploading pictures, videos, or other personal information, ask yourself if you trust the source.