Is AI actually taking up my job?
Just a few years in the past, I by no means thought robots would come for the inventive trade. However right here I’m, a author who constructed my profession by means of phrases, now staring down the fact that synthetic intelligence (AI) can churn out articles in seconds — and free of charge.
Inside just a few months of ChatGPT’s launch, generative AI grew to become much more superior, now able to churning out photographs, movies and even music. My finest buddy, who drew the enduring Finances Babe graphic that you just guys have seen on this weblog for the final decade, spent shut to twenty years honing her creative illustration expertise. However in the present day, Midjourney, DALL-E and Leonardo AI at the moment are capable of create and replicate graphics in virtually any artist’s model. A few of you might need even tried it out lately, if you generated your personal Studio Ghibli-styled photographs on ChatGPT currently.
Supply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8b2wnUi1UU
The know-how has superior past simply nonetheless textual content or photographs. Instruments like HeyGen and Synthesia now lets you create movies with out even filming them your self, and have your avatar converse in over 100+ overseas languages to succeed in a wider viewers.
However worrying about AI taking up our jobs won’t assist us to cease the waves of change.
As a substitute, we are able to discover ways to surf and trip these waves to welcome the long run.
Right here’s what I’m doing to maintain myself related, and what you are able to do, too.
Embracing AI could make us higher at our work
Many staff who’re unable to replace their expertise as wanted find yourself going through wage stagnation, whereas employers concurrently complain that not sufficient staff possess the required expertise.
So in in the present day’s context, meaning:
- embracing AI,
- studying learn how to work with AI instruments, and
- continually upgrading our expertise to stay related.
That’s the reason amidst my busy schedule, I’ve taken time to study – and follow – utilizing AI instruments to jot down and generate my content material sooner. Due to ChatGPT, I now not undergo from “writers’ block”. Canva AI has helped me to create visible graphics that I in any other case couldn’t conjure up on my own.
Determining learn how to use these new instruments felt difficult at first, nevertheless it has gotten simpler over time. Fortunately, Singapore’s Finances 2025 has launched a number of initiatives to help our studying.
Lifelong Studying is extra important than ever earlier than
The Authorities’s current Budgets rolled out vital enhancements to the SkillsFuture initiative. Specifically, the SkillsFuture Degree-Up Programme (SFLP) for Singaporeans aged 40 years and above gives:
- A SkillsFuture Credit score (Mid-Profession) Prime-Up, which gives an extra $4,000 credit score to offset course charges for over 7,000 chosen programs aimed toward bettering employability.
- SkillsFuture Mid-Profession Coaching Allowance for Full-Time Programs: Eligible people can now apply for a month-to-month allowance of as much as $3,000 when enterprise chosen full-time programs.
- SkillsFuture Mid-Profession Coaching Allowance for Half-Time Programs: As introduced at Finances 2025, beginning early 2026, eligible people enterprise chosen part-time programs can obtain a hard and fast allowance of $300 per thirty days to assist defray studying bills.
- Eligible people can obtain a most of 24 months of coaching allowance underneath the SkillsFuture Mid-Profession Coaching Allowance, whether or not they pursue full-time or part-time coaching.
As an example, maybe you’re employed in finance and also you’re making an attempt to study AI to use to your work. Utilizing your SkillsFuture Credit score for a course just like the one under may considerably scale back your value of research:
Or maybe you’re making an attempt to pivot to the healthcare trade (which my sister did), so that you could serve and assist maintain the rising ageing inhabitants in Singapore – a significant side of care that requires a human contact and understanding past the capabilities of AI.
There are numerous programs obtainable so that you can use your SkillsFuture Credit score on, so chances are you’ll browse the web site to seek out what fits you finest.
Observe: For those who had been between the ages of 25 and 39 years outdated in 2020, you’d have obtained $1,000 SkillsFuture Credit score in complete, of which $500 will expire on 31 December 2025. I used mine in 2023 to review for a licence associated to my trade which I’ve at all times wished, and the SkillsFuture Credit score got here in useful because it diminished the fee for me.
If you flip 40, you’ll qualify for an extra $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit score (Mid-Profession) top-up to additional help your upskilling wants.
So long as you place your self strategically to select up the brand new in-demand expertise that employers search, value doesn’t must be a limiting issue.
There’ll at all times be methods to faucet on such authorities schemes to assist us subsidise or finance our studying charges.
Workforce Transformation is essential, too
To stay aggressive, employers may also have to adapt and remodel their workforce, and undertake AI applied sciences to make their enterprise extra environment friendly.
To assist corporations modify, a number of initiatives had been introduced:
- A brand new SkillsFuture Workforce Growth Grant, which streamlines current workforce transformation schemes and gives larger funding help of as much as 70% for job redesign actions.
- A redesigned SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit score: to assist employers defray the out-of-pocket prices for workforce transformation upfront as an alternative of getting to spend first and look ahead to reimbursement. All corporations with at the very least 3 resident workers will get a contemporary $10,000 on this redesigned credit score from the second half of 2026.
- $200 million for NTUC’s Firm Coaching Committee grant: the grant may also be expanded to help employer-led coaching that results in formal {qualifications} or certifications.
In embracing AI, one of many initiatives my employer applied was to introduce automated AI note-taking to scale back the necessity for us to jot down post-meeting minutes. Concurrently, it enabled those that missed the precise conferences to catch up in a jiffy!
As an example, in case you’re in a enterprise dealing with items, maybe you’ll prefer to implement automation know-how in order that much less time is spent manually monitoring stock to give attention to serving prospects higher.
Take Actionable Steps to Future-Proof Our Profession
I really imagine that after we stand within the face of challenges, our outlook could make a marked distinction to our psychological well being and decide how we adapt.
We are able to both fret over how AI is “stealing our jobs”, or give attention to changing into the employee who is aware of learn how to use AI instruments for higher output than what our colleagues and friends can do.
Listed below are some actionable steps you possibly can take into account taking:
- Assess your present expertise gaps: Establish areas the place AI may influence your position and trade, learn up on the newest instruments and watch tutorial movies of learn how to use them.
- Discover related programs: With SkillsFuture Credit score given to all Singaporeans aged 25 and above, you possibly can enrol in programs that align with rising trade developments and calls for. Take into account making use of for the month-to-month coaching allowances to defray your bills additional.
- Combine AI to finish your current duties: One of the best ways to grasp a talent is thru follow. Strive leveraging free AI instruments for a begin. It might take you a bit of longer at first, however with sufficient follow, you’ll finally discover that AI can prevent time and enhance the depth of your experience.
As a substitute of making an attempt to stay to our previously-established methods of labor and lamenting how “the nice outdated days are gone”, I want to channel my consideration to in search of out alternatives within the new paradigm of labor.
What’s extra, even DBS has introduced that it expects to create 1,000 new AI-related jobs. This shift could possibly be a possibility for the employee who’s prepared to select up new AI instruments and apply for these new roles. The wage calls for for these roles are prone to be larger as properly.
Conclusion: Adapt and Thrive
Whereas AI presents challenges, it additionally affords alternatives for development and modern pondering. AI instruments have already helped to hurry up a few of our work processes. Those that discover ways to leverage these instruments will change into extra aggressive sooner or later, so you actually don’t need to be falling behind with the occasions.
We can not cease the waves of technological modifications from disrupting our industries, however we are able to select to proactively upskill ourselves in order that we’re geared up to make use of these new instruments – to supply even higher work than earlier than.
The selection is as much as us.
Disclosure: This text is dropped at you in partnership with the Ministry of Finance.
