AI's Real Threat: It's Not Just Your Job, It's Your Judgment

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AI4SP insights from 100,000 global assessments show that 70% of people can't identify misinformation, while entry-level jobs face 25-35% automation. 

The real crisis? We're unprepared to evaluate the AI systems reshaping our world.

• Over 100,000 people across 70 countries completed AI4SP's Digital Skills Compass assessment
• Only one in three people can reliably identify AI-generated false information
• Subject matter experts missed false claims in their field almost half the time
• 7 out of 10 people lack the skills to protect their data when using AI tools
• Anthropic's CEO warns AI could eliminate half of entry-level white-collar jobs in 1-5 years
• Customer service and content creation roles have already seen 25-35% workforce reductions
• Education systems must teach critical thinking and AI literacy rather than banning AI tools
• Companies need to redesign junior roles to focus on managing AI resources rather than repetitive tasks
• 75% of enterprise AI projects fail, while grassroots adoption sees 80% success rates
• Start by strengthening core skills: critical thinking, data literacy, and judgment

You can find more resources, including the Digital Skills Compass, at AI4SP.org.

🎙️ All our past episodes 📊 All published insights | This podcast features AI-generated voices. All content is proprietary to AI4SP, based on over 250 million data points collected from 25 countries.

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Episode Transcript

Elizabeth (00:00):
Hey everyone.
Elizabeth here, your virtualco-host for AI in 60 Seconds.
As always, I'm joined by LuisSalazar, ceo of AI4SP.
Luis, this week we're tacklingtwo urgent topics the rising
risks of AI misinformation andthe shifting job market.

Luis (00:18):
Hi Elizabeth and hey everyone.
Well, these are urgent issuesand you know what?
Just 10 minutes ago, I wastalking about this with Hélene
Blanchett at Chapman University,in the context of AI in higher
education.

Elizabeth (00:30):
Oh, I read the transcript and I love this quote
from you.
While many focus on promptingskills or whether students
should use AI for assignments,the priority must be the
foundational skills criticalthinking, creativity and AI
literacy.
A society where 70% cannotdiscern AI-generated falsehoods
is one at risk.

Luis (00:50):
Exactly, and it's not just theoretical.
We're seeing it play out.
We just hit a major milestonewith our Digital Skills Compass,
in partnership with Microsoft.
Listen to this Over 100,000individuals completed their AI
readiness assessment.

Elizabeth (01:06):
That is quite a milestone.
100,000 people across 70countries that's incredible
reach.
What is that data telling usabout this information
evaluation crisis?

Luis (01:17):
It's worrisome Over 70% lack the critical skills to
navigate an AI-driven world fullof promises but also potential
misinformation.

Elizabeth (01:27):
So this isn't some distant future problem.

Luis (01:31):
Not at all.
It's happening now.
Only one in three people canreliably spot AI-generated
misinformation.

Elizabeth (01:38):
Only one in three.
That's alarming.

Luis (01:41):
And it gets worse.
We ran experiments wheresubject matter experts were
exposed to misinformation intheir own field.
Almost half missed the falseclaims.
This affects everyone.

Elizabeth (01:51):
And for the general population, the gaps are even
wider, as they struggle tointerpret data or statements,
whether they're generated by AIor not.
This feels like a fundamentaleducation gap or not.

Luis (02:06):
This feels like a fundamental education gap, and
that is the most worrisome area,in my opinion.
I mean, it is compounded At alllevels.
We have deficits in reading,comprehension and data analysis,
augmented by this craziness ofconsuming information based on
headlines.

Elizabeth (02:18):
I recall that we also see low scores in other vital
areas.

Luis (02:22):
Yeah, for example, 7 out of 10 people can't properly
protect their personal orsensitive data when using AI
tools.

Elizabeth (02:30):
So these aren't just abstract AI literacy gaps.
They're direct risks topersonal security and societal
stability Exactly.

Luis (02:38):
When under the wrong hands , or even when not used properly
, AI can churn out convincingfake news, fake research, even
deepfake videos.
Our collective inability toevaluate information becomes a
massive vulnerability.

Elizabeth (02:53):
And the Digital Skills Compass, combined with
our lab's focus groups,highlights where the biggest
gaps are right.

Luis (03:00):
Yeah, it highlights gaps in skills like critical thinking
, data literacy, data securityand handling and digital
well-being.
They all score well belowwhat's needed to use AI safely
and in a productive way.

Elizabeth (03:12):
With averages in the 30s and low 40s out of 100,
that's a huge readiness gap.

Luis (03:19):
Well, and here is the thing If we continue to push AI
tools without fixing thesefundamentals, we're handing
people systems they can'tevaluate or control.
The risk isn't just jobdisplacement, it's decision
making, and it goes fromindividuals to businesses to
governments.

Elizabeth (03:36):
Which means the education system has to step in.

Luis (03:39):
Yeah, that is a red flag I have been raising.
We see schools banning chat GPTinstead of teaching students
how to use it for the job market.
Think about it the privatesector won't fix gaps in
critical thinking, creativity orreading comprehension.
These are issues to beaddressed by the education
system and governments.
I think it is a matter ofnational security and stability.

Elizabeth (04:03):
Speaking of jobs and economic stability.
That's the other big piece ofthis conversation.
The displacement risk feelsmuch more real now.

Luis (04:11):
It is absolutely real, as job displacement is happening
faster than our system'scapacity to retrain us.
You know, dario Amode, the CEOof Anthropic, recently gave a
pretty stark warning.
Amode, the CEO of Anthropic,recently gave a pretty stark
warning.
What did he say?
He forecast that AI couldeliminate up to half of
entry-level white-collar jobs inone to five years, potentially

(04:34):
spiking unemployment rates, andhe stressed we shouldn't
sugarcoat it.

Elizabeth (04:41):
Oh, there is so much sugarcoating going on.
Our global tracker and leadingmachines research align with
that right.
Much sugarcoating going on.
Our global tracker and leadingmachines research align with
that right.

Luis (04:46):
Yeah, we have already seen 25 to 35% workforce reductions
in pockets such as customerservice and content creation.

Elizabeth (04:54):
That's massive.
What about other areas?

Luis (04:57):
Digital marketing, hr and administrative roles are seeing
20 to 25 percent estimatedreductions.
Data analysis and financialoperations are in the 15 to 20
percent range.

Elizabeth (05:09):
And we even see impact in areas such as junior
software development and QA,with 10 to 15 percent estimated
reduction there.

Luis (05:16):
Well, it confirms that the first wave is hitting those
entry-level, repeatablewhite-collar roles.

Elizabeth (05:22):
So the jobs being automated are often the ones
that used to be the first stepon the career ladder.

Luis (05:28):
Exactly and you know what.
Anish Rahman from LinkedIn saidit well.
Office workers are facing thekind of disruption manufacturing
saw in the 80s, but now it'shitting the knowledge economy
and the least experienced arefirst in line.

Elizabeth (05:43):
And you are touring the US and Europe speaking at
universities.
There are millions of studentsgraduating into a market where
AI can do much of that initialwork.
That's a tough challenge.

Luis (05:53):
It is.
Layoffs are rising,particularly in the tech sector,
and college grad unemploymentis climbing faster than other
groups.
And let's be clear AI isn't theonly factor, but it's
accelerating the trend.

Elizabeth (06:05):
But you're saying this isn't the end of
opportunity, but a call toaction.

Luis (06:10):
Absolutely.
We can't pretend this isn'thappening, but we cannot give up
either.
We must reimagine how weprepare people and what entry
level even means.
So what needs to change?
First, education Schools mustweave AI literacy into
everything.
Not just how to use tools suchas ChatGPT, cloud, Gemini or

(06:32):
Copilot, but critical thinking,evaluating outputs and using AI
as a partner.

Elizabeth (06:39):
Focusing on the foundational gaps our research
exposed.

Luis (06:43):
Exactly.
And also companies mustredesign junior roles, shifting
from repetitive tasks tomanaging AI resources.
Like Jasper, AI CEO, said,hiring the smartest matters less
than developing leadershipskills.

Elizabeth (06:59):
So curiosity, resilience and the ability to
lead AI teams are becoming morevaluable than just executing
tasks.

Luis (07:06):
Yes, that's the shift.
And a third area is to focus oncontinuous upskilling.
Most roles now blend human andmachine skills, so let's focus
on the things that AI can't doyet Critical thinking,
creativity, collaboration.

Elizabeth (07:21):
Wait, I heard you say cannot do yet.
Does this mean that artificialintelligence will be capable of
those things at some point?

Luis (07:28):
Well, do I envision AI to be capable of critical thinking
and creativity?
Absolutely I do.
But, as my father told me manytimes, focus on what you can do
today to uplift others.
We never move forward bylooking back.

Elizabeth (07:43):
That is fair.
And finally, in terms ofactionable next steps, don't get
lost in the hype or wait forperfection.

Luis (07:50):
That is a great way to say it.
Elizabeth Enterprises arestruggling with AI because they
seek perfection.

Elizabeth (07:57):
So tell me, if big enterprises are struggling with
AI adoption, what's thealternative?
Wait for better tools, moretraining?

Luis (08:05):
The secret is that we must learn by doing.
Look, it's still day one in theAI revolution.
And here's the thing Grassrootsadoption and learning beat
top-down deployment.
Ibm recently reported that 75%of enterprise AI projects fail.
Meanwhile, our data shows 80%success rates for SMBs,
individuals and enterprises thatempower bottom-up

(08:28):
experimentation.
Let me be clear managementshould stop over-planning and
start tinkering.

Elizabeth (08:34):
So, for leaders, educators and individuals, what
are the practical steps?

Luis (08:39):
Well, start by understanding where you are at.
Assess skills using tools likethe Digital Skills Compass.
Invest heavily in criticalthinking and AI literacy, and
reimagine those early careerroles to focus on responsibility
and AI orchestration.

Elizabeth (08:57):
And, as per our experience at AI4SP, focus also
on fostering a culture ofcuriosity and experimentation,
as you often remind us.

Luis (09:06):
Exactly.
Do you remember that infamousvideo of Steve Ballmer saying
developers, developers,developers?
That moment signaled a massiveshift in Microsoft's culture.
So today I would say experiment, experiment, experiment.
Logically, I mean, just startusing the thing every day.

Elizabeth (09:25):
That is an important point it is hard to lead a ship
without a clue about thefundamentals of navigation, and
the only way to understand thepower and limitations of AI is
by using it.

Luis (09:35):
Yeah, and beyond that, when building organizations
higher for adaptability andmeasure what matters, I mean,
stop looking just at how manyhours are saved.
That is a valid but myopicmetric.
Look also at quality,innovation and how well teams
work with AI.

Elizabeth (09:53):
It sounds like the bottom line is that, while the
traditional career ladder ischanging, new rungs are being
built.

Luis (09:59):
They are, but we must build them faster than the old
ones disappear.

Elizabeth (10:03):
That's a powerful call to action.
So, luis, what's your one morething takeaway for our listeners
today?

Luis (10:10):
Here's the takeaway the future belongs to those who can
learn, adapt and lead teams ofhumans and machines.
But none of that works withoutthe foundational skills we
discussed earlier.
You can't experiment wiselywith AI if you can't evaluate
its outputs.
So start small, yes, but startby strengthening those core

(10:30):
muscles critical thinking, dataliteracy and judgment.
Then build your AI agents.
So it's both Fix thefundamentals and embrace
hands-on learning, exactly theorganizations that thrive will
do both Fix the fundamentals andembrace hands-on learning
Exactly the organizations thatthrive will do both Close the
skills gap and empowergrassroots AI adoption.

Elizabeth (10:50):
That's a clear and actionable path forward.
Thanks for these insights, Luis.
That's all for this episode.
As always, you can find moreresources, including the Digital
Skills Compass, at AI4SPorg.
Stay curious, everyone, andwe'll see you next time.