Source:

  • The Yuan, Published on October 25th, 2024.

By Zorina Alliata

Artificial intelligence is a classic example of a mismatch between perceptions and reality, as people tend to overlook its positive aspects and fear it far more than what is warranted by its actual capabilities, argues AI strategist and professor Zorina Alliata.

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA – In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has grown and developed into something much bigger than most people could have ever expected. Jokes about robots living among humans no longer seem so harmless, and the average person began to develop a new awareness of AI and all its uses. Unfortunately, however – as is often a human tendency – people became hyper-fixated on the negative aspects of AI, often forgetting about all the good it can do. One should therefore take a step back and remember that humanity is still only in the very early stages of developing real intelligence outside of the human brain, and so at this point AI is almost like a small child that humans are raising.

AI is still developing, growing, and adapting, and like any new tech it has its drawbacks. At one point, people had fears and doubts about electricity, calculators, and mobile phones – but now these have become ubiquitous aspects of everyday life, and it is not difficult to imagine a future in which this is the case for AI as well.

The development of AI certainly comes with relevant and real concerns that must be addressed – such as its controversial role in education, the potential job losses it might lead to, and its bias and inaccuracies. For every fear, however, there is also a ray of hope, and that is largely thanks to people and their ingenuity.

Looking at education, many educators around the world are worried about recent developments in AI. The frequently discussed ChatGPT – which is now on its fourth version – is a major red flag for many, causing concerns around plagiarism and creating fears that it will lead to the end of writing as people know it. This is one of the main factors that has increased the pessimistic reporting about AI that one so often sees in the media.

However, when one actually considers ChatGPT in its current state, it is safe to say that these fears are probably overblown. Can ChatGPT really replace the human mind, which is capable of so much that AI cannot replicate? As for educators, instead of assuming that all their students will want to cheat, they should instead consider the options for taking advantage of new tech to enhance the learning experience. Most people now know the tell-tale signs for identifying something that ChatGPT has written. Excessive use of numbered lists, repetitive language and poor comparison skills are just three ways to tell if a piece of writing is legitimate or if a bot is behind it. This author personally encourages the use of AI in the classes I teach. This is because it is better for students to understand what AI can do and how to use it as a tool in their learning instead of avoiding and fearing it, or being discouraged from using it no matter the circumstances.

Educators should therefore reframe the idea of ChatGPT in their minds, have open discussions with students about its uses, and help them understand that it is actually just another tool to help them learn more efficiently – and not a replacement for their own thoughts and words. Such frank discussions help students develop their critical thinking skills and start understanding their own influence on ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools.

By developing one’s understanding of AI’s actual capabilities, one can begin to understand its uses in everyday life. Some would have people believe that this means countless jobs will inevitably become obsolete, but that is not entirely true. Even if AI does replace some jobs, it will still need industry experts to guide it, meaning that entirely new jobs are being created at the same time as some older jobs are disappearing.

Adapting to AI is a new challenge for most industries, and it is certainly daunting at times. The reality, however, is that AI is not here to steal people’s jobs. If anything, it will change the nature of some jobs and may even improve them by making human workers more efficient and productive. If AI is to be a truly useful tool, it will still need humans. One should remember that humans working alongside AI and using it as a tool is key, because in most cases AI cannot do the job of a person by itself.

Is AI biased?

Why should one view AI as a tool and not a replacement? The main reason is because AI itself is still learning, and AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT do not understand bias. As a result, whenever ChatGPT is asked a question it will pull information from anywhere, and so it can easily repeat old biases. AI is learning from previous data, much of which is biased or out of date. Data about home ownership and mortgages, e.g., are often biased because non-white people in the United States could not get a mortgage until after the 1960s. The effect on data due to this lending discrimination is only now being fully understood.

AI is certainly biased at times, but that stems from human bias. Again, this just reinforces the need for humans to be in control of AI. AI is like a young child in that it is still absorbing what is happening around it. People must therefore not fear it, but instead guide it in the right direction.

For AI to be used as a tool, it must be treated as such. If one wanted to build a house, one would not expect one’s tools to be able to do the job alone – and AI must be viewed through a similar lens. By acknowledging this aspect of AI and taking control of humans’ role in its development, the world would be better placed to reap the benefits and quash the fears associated with AI. One should therefore not assume that all the doom and gloom one reads about AI is exactly as it seems. Instead, people should try experimenting with it and learning from it, and maybe soon they will realize that it was the best thing that could have happened to humanity.

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Is Your Degree Fit for Purpose: Graduate From University 2 Business
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It’s not uncommon to hear stories from people who have committed several years to obtaining a university degree, only to discover it doesn’t fit the purposes they need when entering the business world.

Why? Even though universities spend years developing their degree courses in areas such as economics, business, and biomedical science, it is challenging to keep up with the latest technological advancements due to the lengthy approval process and a lack of experts on staff.

Today, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, and cybersecurity are beginning to impact every aspect of our business lives, regardless of whether you work in a cutting-edge science lab or an antiquities museum. However, many graduates fail to leverage this new technology and adapt it to their careers.

This is why OPIT – the Open Institute of Technology – was born, to offer affordable and accessible courses that bridge the gap between what is taught in traditional universities and what the job market requires.

How Is the Job Market Changing?

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, 92 million jobs will be displaced by new technologies, though 170 million new jobs will be created that utilize new technology.

The report suggests that 39% of the key skills required in the job market will change by 2030. These include hard technical skills and the soft skills needed to work in creative environments where change is a constant.

New job descriptions will look for big data specialists, fintech engineers, and AI and machine learning specialists. Additionally, employers will also be seeking creative thinkers who are flexible and agile, as well as resilient in the face of change.

Technology-focused jobs that are in increasing demand include:

  • Machine Learning Engineer – Developing and refining algorithms that enable systems to learn from data and improve performance.
  • Natural Language Processing Specialist – Developing chatbots that can understand users, communicate naturally, and provide valuable assistance.
  • AI Ethicist – Ensuring that AI is developed and deployed with broader social, legal, and moral implications considered.
  • Data Architect – Gathering raw data from different sources and designing infrastructure that consolidates this information and makes it usable.
  • Chief Data Officer – Leading a company’s data collection and application strategy, ensuring data-driven decision-makers.
  • Cybersecurity Engineer – Building information security systems and IT architecture, and protecting them from unauthorized access and cyberattacks.

Over the next few years, we can expect most jobs to require an understanding of the applications for cutting-edge technology, if not how to manage the technical backend. Leaders need to know how to implement AI and automation to save time and reduce errors. Researchers need to understand how to leverage data to reveal new findings, and everyone needs to understand how to work in secure digital environments.

The conclusion is that in tomorrow’s job market, workers will need to find the right balance of technical and human skills to thrive.

A New Approach to Learning Is Needed

Learning requires a fundamental change. Just as businesses need to be adaptable, places of higher learning need to be more adaptable too, keeping their offerings up-to-date and reducing the timescales required to accredit and deliver new courses fit for the current job market.

This aligns with OPIT’s mission to unlock progress and employment on a global scale by providing high-quality and affordable education in the field of technology.

How Does OPIT Work?

OPIT is accredited with the MFHEA (Malta Further and Higher Education Authority) in accordance with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).

Working with an evolving faculty of experts, OPIT offers a technological education aligned with the current and future career market.

Currently, OPIT offers two Bachelor’s degrees:

  • Digital Business – Focuses on merging business acumen with digital fluency, bridging the strategy-execution gap in the evolving digital age.
  • Modern Computer Science – Establishes 360-degree foundation skills, both theoretical and applicative, in all aspects of today’s computer science. It includes programming, software development, the cloud, cybersecurity, data science, and AI.

OPIT also offers four Master’s degrees:

  • Digital Business & Innovation – Empowers professionals to drive innovation by leveraging digital technologies and AI, covering topics such as strategy, digital marketing, customer value management, and AI applications.
  • Responsible Artificial Intelligence – Combines technical expertise with a focus on the ethical implications of modern AI, including sustainability and environmental impact.
  • Enterprise Cybersecurity – Integrates technical and managerial expertise, equipping students with the skills to implement security solutions and lead cybersecurity initiatives.
  • Applied Data Science & AI – Focuses on the intersection between management and tech with no computer science prerequisites. It provides foundation applicative courses coupled with real-world business problems approached with data science and AI.

Courses offer flexible online learning, with both live online-native classes and recorded catch-up sessions. Every course is hands-on and career-aligned, preparing students for multiple career options while working with top professionals.

Current faculty members include Zorina Alliata, principal AI strategist at Amazon; Sylvester Kaczmarek, AI mentor and researcher at NASA; Andrea Gozzi, head of Strategy and Partnership for the Digital Industries Ecosystem at Siemens; and Raj Dasgupta, AI and machine learning scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

OPIT designs its courses to be accessible and affordable, with a dedicated career services department that offers one-on-one career coaching and advice.

Graduating From OPIT

OPIT recently held its first graduation ceremony for students in 2025. Students described their experience with OPIT as unique, innovative, and inspiring. Share the experience of OPIT’s very first graduates in the video here.

If you are curious to learn more about the OPIT student community, OPIT can connect you with a current student. Just reach out.

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Master the AI Era: Key Skills for Success
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The world is rapidly changing. New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming our lives and work, redefining the definition of “essential office skills.”

So what essential skills do today’s workers need to thrive in a business world undergoing a major digital transformation? It’s a question that Alan Lerner, director at Toptal and lecturer at the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), addressed in his recent online masterclass.

In a broad overview of the new office landscape, Lerner shares the essential skills leaders need to manage – including artificial intelligence – to keep abreast of trends.

Here are eight essential capabilities business leaders in the AI era need, according to Lerner, which he also detailed in OPIT’s recent Master’s in Digital Business and Innovation webinar.

An Adapting Professional Environment

Lerner started his discussion by quoting naturalist Charles Darwin.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

The quote serves to highlight the level of change that we are currently seeing in the professional world, said Lerner.

According to the World Economic Forum’s The Future of Jobs Report 2025, over the next five years 22% of the labor market will be affected by structural change – including job creation and destruction – and much of that change will be enabled by new technologies such as AI and robotics. They expect the displacement of 92 million existing jobs and the creation of 170 million new jobs by 2030.

While there will be significant growth in frontline jobs – such as delivery drivers, construction workers, and care workers – the fastest-growing jobs will be tech-related roles, including big data specialists, FinTech engineers, and AI and machine learning specialists, while the greatest decline will be in clerical and secretarial roles. The report also predicts that most workers can anticipate that 39% of their existing skill set will be transformed or outdated in five years.

Lerner also highlighted key findings in the Accenture Life Trends 2025 Report, which explores behaviors and attitudes related to business, technology, and social shifts. The report noted five key trends:

  • Cost of Hesitation – People are becoming more wary of the information they receive online.
  • The Parent Trap – Parents and governments are increasingly concerned with helping the younger generation shape a safe relationship with digital technology.
  • Impatience Economy – People are looking for quick solutions over traditional methods to achieve their health and financial goals.
  • The Dignity of Work – Employees desire to feel inspired, to be entrusted with agency, and to achieve a work-life balance.
  • Social Rewilding – People seek to disconnect and focus on satisfying activities and meaningful interactions.

These are consumer and employee demands representing opportunities for change in the modern business landscape.

Key Capabilities for the AI Era

Businesses are using a variety of strategies to adapt, though not always strategically. According to McClean & Company’s HR Trends Report 2025, 42% of respondents said they are currently implementing AI solutions, but only 7% have a documented AI implementation strategy.

This approach reflects the newness of the technology, with many still unsure of the best way to leverage AI, but also feeling the pressure to adopt and adapt, experiment, and fail forward.

So, what skills do leaders need to lead in an environment with both transformation and uncertainty? Lerner highlighted eight essential capabilities, independent of technology.

Capability 1: Manage Complexity

Leaders need to be able to solve problems and make decisions under fast-changing conditions. This requires:

  • Being able to look at and understand organizations as complex social-technical systems
  • Keeping a continuous eye on change and adopting an “outside-in” vision of their organization
  • Moving fast and fixing things faster
  • Embracing digital literacy and technological capabilities

Capability 2: Leverage Networks

Leaders need to develop networks systematically to achieve organizational goals because it is no longer possible to work within silos. Leaders should:

  • Use networks to gain insights into complex problems
  • Create networks to enhance influence
  • Treat networks as mutually rewarding relationships
  • Develop a robust profile that can be adapted for different networks

Capability 3: Think and Act “Global”

Leaders should benchmark using global best practices but adapt them to local challenges and the needs of their organization. This requires:

  • Identifying what great companies are achieving and seeking data to understand underlying patterns
  • Developing perspectives to craft global strategies that incorporate regional and local tactics
  • Learning how to navigate culturally complex and nuanced business solutions

Capability 4: Inspire Engagement

Leaders must foster a culture that creates meaningful connections between employees and organizational values. This means:

  • Understanding individual values and needs
  • Shaping projects and assignments to meet different values and needs
  • Fostering an inclusive work environment with plenty of psychological safety
  • Developing meaningful conversations and both providing and receiving feedback
  • Sharing advice and asking for help when needed

Capability 5: Communicate Strategically

Leaders should develop crisp, clear messaging adaptable to various audiences and focus on active listening. Achieving this involves:

  • Creating their communication style and finding their unique voice
  • Developing storytelling skills
  • Utilizing a data-centric and fact-based approach to communication
  • Continual practice and asking for feedback

Capability 6: Foster Innovation

Leaders should collaborate with experts to build a reliable innovation process and a creative environment where new ideas thrive. Essential steps include:

  • Developing or enhancing structures that best support innovation
  • Documenting and refreshing innovation systems, processes, and practices
  • Encouraging people to discover new ways of working
  • Aiming to think outside the box and develop a growth mindset
  • Trying to be as “tech-savvy” as possible

Capability 7: Cultivate Learning Agility

Leaders should always seek out and learn new things and not be afraid to ask questions. This involves:

  • Adopting a lifelong learning mindset
  • Seeking opportunities to discover new approaches and skills
  • Enhancing problem-solving skills
  • Reviewing both successful and unsuccessful case studies

Capability 8: Develop Personal Adaptability

Leaders should be focused on being effective when facing uncertainty and adapting to change with vigor. Therefore, leaders should:

  • Be flexible about their approach to facing challenging situations
  • Build resilience by effectively managing stress, time, and energy
  • Recognize when past approaches do not work in current situations
  • Learn from and capitalize on mistakes

Curiosity and Adaptability

With the eight key capabilities in mind, Lerner suggests that curiosity and adaptability are the key skills that everyone needs to thrive in the current environment.

He also advocates for lifelong learning and teaches several key courses at OPIT which can lead to a Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Business.

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