AI Job Losses vs. New Opportunities: An AWS Expert's View

Will AI Cause Job Losses, or Create New Job Opportunities?

Artificial intelligence is rapidly developing, putting companies and executives through a major transformation. On the one hand, there is concern that AI will take away the professions of many people. So, should we really be afraid of artificial intelligence?

Assessments from Tom Soderstrom, AWS Global Chief Technology Strategist

Tom Soderstrom, AWS Global Chief Technology Strategist, previously worked at NASA and managed the transformation of advanced technology infrastructures used in NASA projects, including Mars exploration missions. He now uses this experience in a different field within AWS. Soderstrom guides organizations in their digital transformation journeys.

Challenges of Adaptation in Digital Transformation

Soderstrom addresses the digital transformations of companies and CEOs, noting that they still have different blind spots in this regard:

"If you are a successful small company, as you grow and get older, you have a hard time innovating, you have a hard time keeping up. Because you have bureaucracy. So you have your departments, your rules, and regulations, and it's very hard to adopt new things. That's one of the blind spots from the executive point of view, but it's not just that. I met with 150 executives last year, and then my group also spoke with their teams, about 1500 people. The number one priority is speed. Speed to market, speed to profitability, speed to compliance, speed to training and new skills. That's from the executive's point of view. Trying to get that into their organization is hard. So the organization's blind spot is not realizing how important it is to move fast, how fast it needs to be. In doing so, they take on a very large piece. It's very hard to do a big thing fast and well. Instead, if they break it down into smaller pieces, they can make progress."

The "Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast" Approach

Soderstrom summarizes the path companies should follow in their adaptation processes as follows:

"This is a change we've seen all over the world in the past. It used to be okay to say I'm going to show results in four years, then three years, then two years. Now you need to show results much faster. So we've created something we call 'a culture of experimentation,' the idea here is a six-word technique. You have to think big. You have to answer the question, 'Why am I in this business?' Then start small, that is, experiment to see what makes sense. When you understand what that is, what the business outcome is for the company, you scale quickly. So, think big, start small, scale fast."

Soderstrom emphasizes the importance of starting small, saying, "Starting small is the part that's really important. So what do you start with? Something that produces a business outcome, that helps the company, that you can measure, and then tell a story that creates energy and excitement. Then the rest of the organization will join in," he says.

Focusing on Talent Development

Soderstrom states that he does not agree with the complaint often voiced by executives, "I don't have the people I need," and continues:

"We don't agree with that view and we tell them, 'yes, you have the people you need.' They just don't have the skills they need. So don't replace people, train them, but don't send them to a course where they'll come back without doing anything. Give them on-the-job training as a small team where they solve a problem and learn this new technology with easy things. So when you move on to bigger things, you have that skill. So how to do these things...