PMI: Professional Associations Can Help Youth Overcome AI Anxiety

Emma Okonji

Project Management Institute (PMI) has assured youths of overcoming the anxiety created around Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, which has kept most youths worried about their future jobs.

Youth Lead, sub-Saharan Africa at Project Management Institute, Joanna Baidu, who gave the assurance, said concerns around the use of AI, from its potential misuse and ethical implications to the balance of innovation versus disruption, had been swirling since ChatGPT went mainstream.

According to him, there is great unease at the thought of AI replacing jobs. Investment bank Goldman Sachs predicts that 300 million jobs will be lost or degraded by AI. The World Economic Forum found that the global economy will shed 14 million jobs over the next five years as the economy weakens and companies boost the adoption of AI technologies.  

He however said students across various educational institutions have good reasons to be anxious, while citing the report of the Institute of the Future, which said 85 per cent of the jobs that would exist in 2030 haven’t been invented yet.

“While it is easy to speculate about the types of jobs automation will make obsolete, it is with no certainty that we can make any assumptions. An Elon Musk tweet from 2018 balances the argument. He tweeted, “Excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated.” Baidu

said, 

According to him, “Regardless of which way the pendulum swings and which jobs AI swallows, it is prudent that the youth commit to lifelong learning and up-skilling. Joining a professional association is strongly recommended for students and early career professionals. Staying informed about trends, access to learning resources, and being intentional about professional development will give the youth the head start to prepare for the future of work.” 

He further said: “There is no denying that AI will profoundly impact the future of work. Tech innovations of the past decade have already made bank tellers, cashiers, telemarketers, and travel agents relics of the past. Generative AI holds the potential to take over segments of marketing, copywriting, design, customer support, legal work, etc. It remains aware of its limitations, though, and believes that ‘jobs that require a high degree of creativity or interpersonal skills are less likely to be replaced by AI.’ These skills are innate to project managers.”

PMI’s Talent Gap predicts an increase in the number of jobs requiring project management-oriented skills from higher demand due to economic growth and retirement rates.