South Eastern Regional College (@S_ERC) is hosting an online international conference to highlight the need for businesses to identify employee digital skills gaps and provide relevant digital skills training for employees in preparation for the move to Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology within the work environment. The Reskilling Revolution in the Artificial Intelligence Era: The Case for Digital Upskilling is online 10am – 1.00pm GMT, Thursday 17 June. However, more and more businesses are also reaping the benefits of AI whether that's a small business replacing paper-based processes with digital, using drones, virtual reality or augmented reality or a total transformational change. The impact for employees could be devastating, with concerns over job role and security, but by providing relevant digital upskilling training, employers can retain valuable employees minimising uncertainty and job losses." Speakers will include leading experts from the field of Artificial Intelligence who will share their knowledge and expertise.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated technological advances and the automation of many routine tasks – from contactless cashiers to robots delivering packages. In this environment, many are concerned that artificial intelligence (AI) will drive significant automation and destroy jobs in the coming decades. Just a few decades ago, the internet created similar concerns as it grew. Despite skepticism, the technology created millions of jobs and now comprises 10% of US GDP. Today, AI is poised to create even greater growth in the US and global economies.

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – When global leaders and captains of industry gathered in Davos last week for the 2018 World Economic Forum, AI and the economy of tomorrow dominated the discussions. Coupled with the launch of two new reports into the future of work at the summit, it is clear that AI and reskilling are already central considerations for policymakers and businesses alike. This much was evident in the coverage of the event. Both the British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron announced government-funded innovation measures around securing'safe and ethical AI'. Meanwhile, Google CEO Sundar Pichai boldly claimed that artificial intelligence will prove more important to the fate of humanity than our mastery of fire, and Alibaba founder Jack Ma argued automation technologies could'kill a lot of jobs'.