After watching the video "Age of AI: The Future of Work" I honestly feel excited and a little freaked out. It is intense. AI is no longer a futuristic, far-off concept. It’s here, it’s already impacting jobs, and it’s already shifting the demands employers are placing on us. As a Strategic Communications Major with an Event Management minor, I have to ask myself, what is my career going to look like in 5-10 years?
There is a lot in the video about jobs and the impact of AI and automation on job loss, which is, of course, pretty terrifying. But if I think about it, I know that the tasks I will enjoy throughout my future career will be the uniquely human ones. The creative ones. The relationship-building ones. The experience of designing and connecting people with one another. AI, hopefully, can’t take that away.
AI truly is everywhere in communications if you think about it. There are tools that can write social media captions, generate graphics, summarize research, and analyze audience data faster than any human could imagine. This is actually extremely helpful for time efficiency. Instead of spending an hour or two figuring out how to fill up a blank canvas page in Canva, or coming up with 10 different captions for an Instagram post, the tools are there. But AI can’t come up with an authentic strategy. Everyone can generate content now. What matters is how tactical and thoughtful you are.
In terms of events, I can also see AI being extremely beneficial. I can picture it helping with tracking data to predict attendance, spotting trends, and personalizing invitations. It might even be able to automate scheduling and logistics. This in some cases sounds very helpful but events are really all about the atmosphere in the end. Reading the room, evaluating emotions, and creating an experience people connect with. A robot can’t tell when something is off and when guests need something other than what was planned. That’s still very much a human skill.
It also makes me realize that being tech-savvy is no longer an optional nice-to-have skill. It’s now basically a must-have. Research from the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, for example, indicates that digital skills and being agile in terms of technology are among the top traits employers are looking for from us.
