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  • 1 year ago
Science and Technology students at the University of the West Indies have been encouraged not to worry about Artificial Intelligence in relation to job loss.


At an award ceremony held to recognise their outstanding work, insight was provided into the future world of work, the fact that many jobs may not exist, but also the room it leaves for new possibilities to occur.


Alicia Boucher has the details.
Transcript
00:00They have chosen to pursue science and technology and thus are the inventors, the innovators,
00:07the architects and the digital pioneers of tomorrow.
00:10They have proven that they have tenacity, discipline and focus and are willing to put
00:15in the hard work and make the sacrifices to see their dreams come to fruition.
00:20Now they have been rewarded for it at the University of the West Indies Faculty of Science
00:24and Technology Prizes and Awards Ceremony 2024.
00:29Recipient of the Julian Kenney Prize, graduand and valedictorian Camille Lam Monroe states
00:34that her journey at UWE in pursuit of life sciences has led to her development in many
00:40aspects of life, including personal, social and professional.
00:44Growing up in my community, Laventille, has posed its own challenges and appreciations
00:50for change and the ability to foster grit.
00:54I have always had a fond appreciation for nature and its resilience to disturbances
01:00as well as its adaptability to move forward.
01:03In delivering the feature address at the awards ceremony, Head of Software Development at
01:08iGovTT, Erwin Williams, pointed out that people miss out on a lot because of the fear of failing
01:14and the awardees have been put on notice.
01:18Failure can be your friend.
01:21You guys need to hear it because it's strange to you.
01:25You are award winners.
01:26It's like throughout the course of your academic career, you were in school getting merit awards
01:32and you were in school being celebrated and you were in front of the class.
01:36You need to get accustomed to failing and failing forward and failing and learning and
01:40failing and knowing it's not the end of the world.
01:43Yes?
01:44Yes?
01:45Yes.
01:46Williams states that intent is the key to getting over that fear and moreover, fear
01:50should translate into strategy.
01:52Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Professor Brian Coburn, notes that readiness
01:57for the workplace subsequent to studies is sometimes a topic up for discussion.
02:02And he says, UE has been addressing the issue through a strong internship framework.
02:06The opportunities to gain work experience are invaluable.
02:13The experience continues to exceed expectations.
02:17Overwhelmingly, our students make us proud.
02:22The partners, the students and the academics all report very high levels of satisfaction.
02:30Often students are offered jobs before they graduate.
02:35And while many people talk about artificial intelligence possibly replacing humans in
02:40several ways, Professor Coburn highlights that AI still requires to be prompted by humans.
02:46The more informed one is, the better one is able to prompt generative AI or to train
02:53a machine learning algorithm.
02:57Even when utilizing an AI, one is still better equipped to face challenges with hard facts
03:04in hand and after learning the elements of critical thinking.
03:09As for any loss of jobs due to AI, Williams weighs in.
03:13What jobs?
03:16You will create the jobs.
03:19It's said that the destruction happening to the job market will be 400 million.
03:25But the creation will also be 400 million.
03:29So while you lose 400 million jobs, you make 400 million new jobs.
03:33So what are we talking about jobs?
03:35He says real power lies in creating new solutions and he outlines that new opportunities can
03:41include climate data interpreters and AI ethicists.
03:45The awardees have been told to pay back or forward the support they would have received
03:50to reach where they are.
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