In today's episode I'm talking about AI fluency and why becoming AI fluent is quickly becoming essential for your future career.

I hope you enjoy it! As always you can learn more and connect with me on my website (andystorch.com) or LinkedIn. And you can find my books - Own Your Career Own Your Life and Own Your Brand, Own Your Career - on Amazon.

Hey, thanks for listening.

2

00:00:02,832 --> 00:00:03,572

This is Andy.

3

00:00:03,612 --> 00:00:06,782

I'm excited to talk with you today, and

today I wanna talk about AI, something

4

00:00:06,782 --> 00:00:11,381

I've been talking about a lot lately,

and it's on the top of minds for so many

5

00:00:11,382 --> 00:00:13,072

people out there in the working world.

6

00:00:13,382 --> 00:00:17,632

And a lot of people are following

the news, as I have been, and hearing

7

00:00:17,632 --> 00:00:20,122

about a lot of these big macro issues.

8

00:00:20,122 --> 00:00:25,311

And there's a lot of big debates going on

about government involvement, the ethics

9

00:00:25,322 --> 00:00:29,772

of some of the tech founders who are

running these AI companies, the battles

10

00:00:29,772 --> 00:00:34,651

between these companies and the public

markets, backlash against data centers

11

00:00:34,661 --> 00:00:40,311

being built across the US and other

places, and so many other things like

12

00:00:40,371 --> 00:00:45,921

have we reached AGI, artificial general

intelligence, or when will we reach AGI?

13

00:00:46,071 --> 00:00:49,401

There's debates about all these

macro issues, and it's interesting

14

00:00:49,401 --> 00:00:50,961

to follow what's going on.

15

00:00:51,251 --> 00:00:56,111

But I've also thought a lot about the

fact that we as individuals cannot do very

16

00:00:56,111 --> 00:00:59,161

much to change or shift what is happening.

17

00:00:59,162 --> 00:01:04,272

In fact, this giant AI wave is

pretty much happening and going to

18

00:01:04,272 --> 00:01:06,251

happen whether we like it or not.

19

00:01:06,252 --> 00:01:09,601

So I know there are a lot of people

out there who are ethically against

20

00:01:09,601 --> 00:01:13,462

AI or scared of AI, and in fact,

if you dig into the most recent

21

00:01:13,462 --> 00:01:17,981

numbers, they show that a majority of

Americans, and probably people around

22

00:01:17,981 --> 00:01:20,251

the world, are generally against AI.

23

00:01:20,252 --> 00:01:22,762

And the numbers go up when

you look at Gen Z, the younger

24

00:01:23,042 --> 00:01:24,651

generation that's out there.

25

00:01:24,652 --> 00:01:28,442

And I've heard this directly firsthand

from my daughter, who's Generation Alpha,

26

00:01:28,451 --> 00:01:30,461

who tells me all the time not to use AI.

27

00:01:31,211 --> 00:01:35,201

We saw in the news a lot of people

booing commencement speakers at

28

00:01:35,551 --> 00:01:39,291

college graduations when they talk

about AI and the AI revolution.

29

00:01:39,601 --> 00:01:43,661

We've seen backlashes against the data

centers, and a lot of politicians starting

30

00:01:43,661 --> 00:01:47,102

to get involved, even though most of

them don't quite know what to do yet.

31

00:01:47,321 --> 00:01:50,912

Elon Musk has promised to solve that

problem by building data centers in space,

32

00:01:50,912 --> 00:01:56,152

which probably creates a whole host of

other issues that we need to figure out.

33

00:01:56,781 --> 00:02:01,122

But my stance is that while it's good

to pay attention to all these things

34

00:02:01,122 --> 00:02:04,112

that are going on, and of course,

we need to exercise our rights and

35

00:02:04,112 --> 00:02:08,122

democracy to vote and support people

who are supporting the causes that

36

00:02:08,122 --> 00:02:14,182

we believe in the AI wave is going to

keep going whether we use it or not.

37

00:02:14,442 --> 00:02:19,422

And so we might as well learn how to

use these tools and become AI fluent.

38

00:02:19,662 --> 00:02:22,762

And I would take that a step

further to say I've been studying

39

00:02:22,762 --> 00:02:24,412

this industry and this space.

40

00:02:24,522 --> 00:02:25,662

I've been going to conferences.

41

00:02:25,662 --> 00:02:29,272

I've been having lots of conversations

with many of you out there in

42

00:02:29,462 --> 00:02:33,034

talent development, learning and

development HR while reading the

43

00:02:33,034 --> 00:02:34,454

news and seeing what's going on.

44

00:02:34,974 --> 00:02:41,324

And the way I see it is that going

forward into the future, most companies

45

00:02:41,394 --> 00:02:46,574

are not going to hire people for

corporate jobs unless they are AI fluent

46

00:02:46,954 --> 00:02:51,654

and they have strong AI skills and can

work with AI and know how to use it to

47

00:02:51,654 --> 00:02:55,954

be more productive, more innovative,

more efficient, that sort of thing.

48

00:02:56,004 --> 00:02:59,244

And that's gonna be the same for

big companies and small companies.

49

00:02:59,244 --> 00:03:02,024

I just had a call right before

this catching up with a friend I

50

00:03:02,024 --> 00:03:04,544

made at a conference many years

ago who's working for a small

51

00:03:04,544 --> 00:03:06,654

company, and he said the same thing.

52

00:03:06,664 --> 00:03:10,454

"I would not hire anybody who

is not highly AI fluent, and I

53

00:03:10,464 --> 00:03:14,234

have my whole team, I'm trying

to get them all using AI now."

54

00:03:14,664 --> 00:03:18,654

And so there's the current challenge

of getting people on the team in the

55

00:03:18,654 --> 00:03:22,904

organization to start using AI more,

and then there's the partial solution

56

00:03:22,944 --> 00:03:26,924

of, "I'm only gonna hire people in

the future who know how to use AI."

57

00:03:27,694 --> 00:03:31,314

And when you think about it, for those

of you that are, maybe over 30 or

58

00:03:31,314 --> 00:03:37,494

over 40 like I am, when I graduated

from university in 2002, it was pretty

59

00:03:37,494 --> 00:03:42,384

valuable to put the phrase "proficient

in Microsoft Office" on your resume.

60

00:03:42,384 --> 00:03:46,293

I remember having that on there because

I had learned how to use Excel and Word

61

00:03:46,304 --> 00:03:50,134

and PowerPoint, and I don't know if I was

terribly good at it when I graduated, but

62

00:03:50,134 --> 00:03:53,934

I felt like I knew how to use it, and so

I felt confident putting it on my resume.

63

00:03:54,234 --> 00:03:57,754

I later went to work for an insurance

company, and I learned a lot about Excel.

64

00:03:58,034 --> 00:04:02,844

In fact, I got a job with a really

cool consulting firm back in 2010, and

65

00:04:03,324 --> 00:04:07,994

one of the reasons I got the job was

because I came to the case interview and

66

00:04:07,994 --> 00:04:12,814

I wowed leadership with the way that I

took the data they gave me in an Excel

67

00:04:12,814 --> 00:04:16,543

spreadsheet and turned it into charts

and graphs in PowerPoint, something

68

00:04:16,543 --> 00:04:19,624

that I had learned how to do in the

insurance job that I'd been in before.

69

00:04:19,863 --> 00:04:25,094

And so that helped me land a six-figure

job, having those Microsoft Office skills.

70

00:04:25,094 --> 00:04:29,214

Now, that wasn't a key component or

requirement, of the job when they

71

00:04:29,214 --> 00:04:32,194

were hiring, but it's something

that helped me get the job.

72

00:04:32,444 --> 00:04:38,474

And I think AI proficiency or AI fluency

is just like that Microsoft Office

73

00:04:38,484 --> 00:04:40,724

proficiency, but times a thousand.

74

00:04:40,774 --> 00:04:47,770

It's wildly more important because unlike

Microsoft Office, which is one product

75

00:04:47,930 --> 00:04:53,360

suite, albeit the most popular, being

used by, I don't know, I would guess maybe

76

00:04:53,450 --> 00:04:55,350

thirty, forty percent of corporate jobs.

77

00:04:56,170 --> 00:05:01,580

AI is something that's going to be used

across multiple platforms in almost every

78

00:05:01,580 --> 00:05:06,210

job in America, unless maybe you're in a

trade like a plumber or an electrician.

79

00:05:06,230 --> 00:05:10,330

Even then, those that are figuring out

ways to harness the power of AI are

80

00:05:10,330 --> 00:05:14,150

probably going to be more productive

and efficient than the ones who are not.

81

00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,920

And there's plenty of studies to

show that people who use AI tools

82

00:05:17,930 --> 00:05:22,310

in the right way are more productive

and efficient than those who don't.

83

00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:24,130

Now, there's a lot of

controversy around that.

84

00:05:24,460 --> 00:05:29,780

There's people who are using AI tools and

just trusting them blindly, and they're

85

00:05:29,780 --> 00:05:35,159

actually producing worst, worse work

than the people who are not using AI.

86

00:05:35,159 --> 00:05:39,250

So it's not definitive that just because

you use AI, you're going to be more

87

00:05:39,250 --> 00:05:40,930

productive and more efficient than others.

88

00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:45,500

But those who are using it the right

way and who are still using their

89

00:05:45,780 --> 00:05:52,400

very human skills of critical thinking

and judgment and connection and

90

00:05:52,409 --> 00:05:57,130

relationship building with others are

going to be far more valuable than the

91

00:05:57,140 --> 00:06:01,470

people who just refuse to use AI or

just don't ever learn how to use it.

92

00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,270

Now, the good news is that anybody

can learn how to use AI tools.

93

00:06:05,270 --> 00:06:11,880

Once you get past either your fear or

your ethical stance against AI, you

94

00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,860

can go learn how to use it, whether

you take a training class or you just

95

00:06:14,860 --> 00:06:19,360

sign up for one of the platforms like

Claude or ChatGPT or Gemini, and you

96

00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,330

just start asking it questions and

say like, "Hey, how do I use you?"

97

00:06:22,650 --> 00:06:26,432

Or go to YouTube and start watching

videos The challenge is a lot of people

98

00:06:26,432 --> 00:06:32,022

are not doing that, and companies are

buying licenses for these AI tools and

99

00:06:32,022 --> 00:06:36,282

these AI products and turning them on,

paying thousands if not millions of

100

00:06:36,282 --> 00:06:40,592

dollars, and hoping that if we turn these

on and make them available to people

101

00:06:40,812 --> 00:06:44,232

without giving them much guidance or

direction, they're going to magically

102

00:06:44,232 --> 00:06:48,432

start using them, and our whole workforce

is going to become more productive.

103

00:06:48,652 --> 00:06:52,432

I've had many conversations with people in

talent development, with consultants who

104

00:06:52,432 --> 00:06:55,402

are working in this space on the outside,

and they're telling me that this is just

105

00:06:55,402 --> 00:06:59,602

not working, that those licenses are being

turned on, but people are not using them.

106

00:07:00,032 --> 00:07:02,542

I was having a conversation with someone

the other day, and I posited that I

107

00:07:02,542 --> 00:07:09,302

bet 20% of people will willingly and

voluntarily grab onto those tools and

108

00:07:09,302 --> 00:07:14,722

start using them, and maybe 20% of people

are totally against them and refuse to use

109

00:07:14,722 --> 00:07:17,822

them, and then there's 60% in the middle

who just don't know what to do, but they

110

00:07:17,822 --> 00:07:19,592

would use them if they had direction.

111

00:07:19,592 --> 00:07:22,572

This person corrected me and said,

"Actually, it's much lower than 20%

112

00:07:22,592 --> 00:07:26,602

who are the fast adopters who are

just grabbing onto these tools."

113

00:07:27,112 --> 00:07:30,482

And I think over time, we've seen

more and more people using them.

114

00:07:30,482 --> 00:07:34,492

The latest stat I read in an article

today was that something like 49% of

115

00:07:34,492 --> 00:07:37,062

Americans are using AI on a regular basis.

116

00:07:37,062 --> 00:07:42,222

Now, I would assume most of those are

at a basic level, just a chatbot asking

117

00:07:42,222 --> 00:07:46,032

questions for research purposes, almost

like a glorified Google, if you will.

118

00:07:46,482 --> 00:07:49,342

But there's some that are using it on

a deeper level, and I bet if you look

119

00:07:49,342 --> 00:07:53,282

at your team, there are probably a

few people who are the leaders who are

120

00:07:53,282 --> 00:07:57,492

using AI every day, who are digging

in and maybe even coding features,

121

00:07:57,492 --> 00:08:01,322

who are starting to make stuff, using

it to disseminate data and whatnot.

122

00:08:01,672 --> 00:08:05,312

And then there's a lot of people who

just haven't gotten started with it yet.

123

00:08:05,872 --> 00:08:09,222

And I see a big opportunity

in this space in two ways.

124

00:08:09,522 --> 00:08:12,592

One is we all in talent

development, learning and

125

00:08:12,592 --> 00:08:15,602

development have a big opportunity

to make a difference for people.

126

00:08:16,052 --> 00:08:21,772

Because getting people using AI or

increasing AI adoption is not just

127

00:08:21,772 --> 00:08:23,882

about helping the organization.

128

00:08:24,012 --> 00:08:28,212

Obviously, companies are motivated to

get people using AI because they want

129

00:08:28,212 --> 00:08:31,632

people to be more productive and more

efficient and more innovative because

130

00:08:31,632 --> 00:08:33,751

it's going to benefit the company overall.

131

00:08:34,251 --> 00:08:40,216

But as I said earlier, I see a future

Coming very soon where nobody's

132

00:08:40,216 --> 00:08:44,296

going to get hired unless they are,

quote-unquote, "AI fluent" or AI

133

00:08:44,306 --> 00:08:47,206

ready or using AI on a regular basis.

134

00:08:47,316 --> 00:08:49,936

They're gonna get asked in every

interview, if they're not being

135

00:08:49,946 --> 00:08:52,596

asked already, "How do you use AI?

136

00:08:52,616 --> 00:08:54,356

What's your level of AI proficiency?

137

00:08:54,366 --> 00:08:57,936

How have you used AI to change

a system or make something more

138

00:08:57,936 --> 00:08:59,616

efficient in a job in the past?"

139

00:09:00,056 --> 00:09:03,106

And if you can't answer those

questions, then you're probably

140

00:09:03,106 --> 00:09:04,146

not going to get the job.

141

00:09:04,636 --> 00:09:08,446

You know, there's a very popular

phrase that has been repeated over

142

00:09:08,446 --> 00:09:12,696

and over again in many places, that

AI is not going to take your job, but

143

00:09:12,706 --> 00:09:15,216

someone using AI will take your job.

144

00:09:15,286 --> 00:09:17,206

I'm sure you've heard that if

you're in the corporate world,

145

00:09:17,206 --> 00:09:19,396

if you're in talent development,

you've been going to conferences.

146

00:09:20,046 --> 00:09:24,296

And it's getting a little bit cliché at

this point, but I do think it is true.

147

00:09:24,746 --> 00:09:30,196

I do optimistically think that there will

still be jobs for humans going forward,

148

00:09:30,196 --> 00:09:34,406

and maybe even new jobs will be created,

but it's going to be the people who know

149

00:09:34,406 --> 00:09:38,456

how to use the AI tools who are going

to be the most valuable and the most

150

00:09:38,456 --> 00:09:43,396

proficient and the most innovative and

the most well-paid in the marketplace.

151

00:09:43,736 --> 00:09:46,606

And the people who don't learn

it are going to fall behind.

152

00:09:47,136 --> 00:09:51,656

And so it's imperative that we help

our people learn how to use these

153

00:09:51,656 --> 00:09:55,226

tools so that they can still be

valuable to the organization, and

154

00:09:55,226 --> 00:09:56,676

they can get jobs in the future.

155

00:09:57,196 --> 00:10:01,796

I got hired recently by a SaaS

organization, a software company, to speak

156

00:10:01,796 --> 00:10:05,336

to their people, and I have the session

coming up next week, because they've been

157

00:10:05,336 --> 00:10:08,996

doing a lot of AI training, and people

are starting to ask questions like, "What

158

00:10:08,996 --> 00:10:10,476

does this mean for me and my career?"

159

00:10:10,496 --> 00:10:13,226

Some people are afraid, and

some people are just not taking

160

00:10:13,226 --> 00:10:14,896

advantage of the training.

161

00:10:14,906 --> 00:10:18,176

And the message that they wanna get

across is, "Hey, this organization

162

00:10:18,176 --> 00:10:19,306

may not be around forever.

163

00:10:19,306 --> 00:10:22,276

It's more of a startup, and they're

planning on trying to sell the

164

00:10:22,276 --> 00:10:24,146

company in the next 18 months.

165

00:10:24,256 --> 00:10:26,606

But you still have a longer

career to think about.

166

00:10:26,656 --> 00:10:29,646

And if you go and take advantage

of the training that we're offering

167

00:10:29,646 --> 00:10:33,926

you for free, obviously there's

an incentive for us as well, then

168

00:10:33,986 --> 00:10:36,536

you get to keep those AI skills.

169

00:10:36,546 --> 00:10:39,826

You get to keep the things that you've

learned for the rest of your career.

170

00:10:39,826 --> 00:10:40,886

You don't have to give it back.

171

00:10:40,886 --> 00:10:43,346

In fact, it would be impossible

to give that back, right?"

172

00:10:43,346 --> 00:10:46,376

And I know if you're working in

talent development, leadership

173

00:10:46,376 --> 00:10:48,846

development, learning and development,

I'm preaching to the choir, right?

174

00:10:49,046 --> 00:10:52,776

It's so important to give

development and training to people

175

00:10:52,996 --> 00:10:54,636

that most workers are hungry for.

176

00:10:54,646 --> 00:10:56,506

They wanna know, "How

can I grow in my career?"

177

00:10:56,806 --> 00:10:57,546

Well, this is it.

178

00:10:57,566 --> 00:11:02,336

We can be offering that AI training

and development, and it will benefit

179

00:11:02,336 --> 00:11:06,116

the company, but It also greatly

benefits the individuals who choose

180

00:11:06,276 --> 00:11:09,306

to take advantage of that training

and learn how to use the tools and

181

00:11:09,306 --> 00:11:11,926

become AI fluent and AI proficient.

182

00:11:11,956 --> 00:11:16,196

Now, for my part, I plan on doing

what I can to help with this.

183

00:11:16,246 --> 00:11:19,476

Traditionally, I have spoken for

the most part in organizations

184

00:11:19,516 --> 00:11:20,906

about career development.

185

00:11:21,196 --> 00:11:25,606

I also speak about the most viable skills

of the future and leadership and personal

186

00:11:25,606 --> 00:11:31,566

brand, but I'm making a big move into

AI enablement and AI readiness, and I

187

00:11:31,576 --> 00:11:35,536

have an AI Kickstarter program that I'm

going to start offering in the fall.

188

00:11:35,716 --> 00:11:39,756

It's a 90-minute workshop where

we get your team not only learning

189

00:11:39,766 --> 00:11:43,366

about the importance of AI, but

actually using the tools and creating

190

00:11:43,366 --> 00:11:46,986

and doing something during that 90

minutes so they have clear output.

191

00:11:47,276 --> 00:11:52,306

And then they get to see what it's like

if they haven't been using the tools,

192

00:11:52,526 --> 00:11:53,856

what they can actually do with them.

193

00:11:53,856 --> 00:11:57,216

A lot of people are seeing and finding

that for most people, they just

194

00:11:57,216 --> 00:12:00,980

don't know where to start And they're

overwhelmed by all of it, and we just

195

00:12:00,980 --> 00:12:03,700

have to get them started, just have to

show them how to use a couple things,

196

00:12:04,010 --> 00:12:06,140

and then they can be off to the races.

197

00:12:06,150 --> 00:12:09,950

Now, there will be more advanced

workshops that I'll be offering.

198

00:12:10,210 --> 00:12:14,110

I'm going through a couple different AI

programs right now, getting certified,

199

00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:18,710

and I'm really excited to bring this

to all of you in the corporate space

200

00:12:18,710 --> 00:12:22,930

and be hopefully part of the solution

that is going to be helping not only

201

00:12:22,930 --> 00:12:29,370

organizations to improve AI efficiency

and AI fluency and overall productivity

202

00:12:29,370 --> 00:12:34,930

and growth, but also really helping

employees to gain those AI skills so

203

00:12:34,930 --> 00:12:40,070

that they can remain or become more

valuable in the marketplace in the future.

204

00:12:40,070 --> 00:12:44,770

So if you are in a place where

we need to do more in AI, we need

205

00:12:44,770 --> 00:12:48,370

to get our team using it, you're

ready to at least start with a

206

00:12:48,370 --> 00:12:50,890

Kickstarter workshop, reach out to me.

207

00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:53,950

I'd love to talk to you and see if

this is something I can help you with.

208

00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:56,620

My email is [email protected].

209

00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:02,460

Or if you've already been doing AI

training and AI enablement work and

210

00:13:02,460 --> 00:13:05,760

people have been using it or learning

how to use it, but a lot of people are

211

00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:09,410

maybe refusing to take advantage of it

or they're afraid of what the future

212

00:13:09,410 --> 00:13:13,460

looks like, reach out to me because I'd

love to do a session where we talk about

213

00:13:13,460 --> 00:13:17,650

the importance of owning your career

and taking advantage of the development

214

00:13:17,650 --> 00:13:20,710

that's available to you so that you

can set yourself up for future success.

215

00:13:20,710 --> 00:13:24,680

That's exactly the session I'm going to

be doing with the software company next

216

00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:28,640

week, and I think it's a really important

message that we need to be bringing to

217

00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:32,400

people all over the corporate world, that

you need to take ownership of your career.

218

00:13:32,750 --> 00:13:36,070

You need to set your intention with what

you wanna do, what you wanna accomplish.

219

00:13:36,300 --> 00:13:37,590

You can't sit on the sideline.

220

00:13:37,590 --> 00:13:40,670

You can't wait for someone to bring

something to you, and you need to take

221

00:13:40,670 --> 00:13:44,010

advantage of the development opportunities

that are available, especially when it

222

00:13:44,010 --> 00:13:49,800

comes to AI training and AI enablement,

because it's imperative that our people

223

00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:54,690

learn these skills so that they remain

valuable or can provide even more

224

00:13:54,690 --> 00:13:57,130

value and get more jobs in the future.

225

00:13:57,150 --> 00:14:02,460

I'm doing my part by investing quite a bit

of my own money and time in learning AI.

226

00:14:02,510 --> 00:14:06,320

I'm playing with the tools every day,

reading books, listening to podcasts,

227

00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:11,580

using different things, following

experts on Instagram and YouTube, and

228

00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:15,520

just trying everything I can, talking

to friends, to become as proficient as I

229

00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,200

can so that I can then also help others.

230

00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,880

Because I don't want you or

your team to fall behind either.

231

00:14:21,130 --> 00:14:24,610

So if you're ready to take it to the

next level, you're ready to talk about

232

00:14:24,630 --> 00:14:28,830

AI, or maybe you wanna talk more about

career development, I'm here to help you.

233

00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,440

You can reach out to

me, [email protected].

234

00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:33,020

My website is andystorch.com.

235

00:14:33,450 --> 00:14:35,330

And let me know how it's going.

236

00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:38,350

I would love to hear from you,

and I will talk to you later.

237

00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:39,250

Cheers.