Artificial intelligence is transforming the global workforce, but people will continue to build, fund and direct the technology.
That was the message from AI expert and Director of AI, Automation & Analytics at INCUS Services Ltd., Leslie Lee Fook, as he addressed the opening of the T&T Coalition of Services Industries’ National Services Week on Monday.
“AI is inevitable, but your relevance is a choice. The good news is this: we live in a world where it is no longer the big fish eating the little fish. It’s the fast fish that eat the slow fish.”
Mr. Lee Fook said success in the AI era will depend on adaptability.
Speaking on the rapid pace of technological change, he said the global labour market is already shifting as organisations retool their workforces to embrace artificial intelligence.
“What we’re going to see this year is that there is a shift in terms of talent. There is going to be less reliance on AI experts where very single organisation is re-skilling and retooling every single person in their organisation, because today, for the folks who are brand new to AI, what is their biggest concern? What do you think? Being replaced. That’s the number one concern people have, and it’s legitimate.”
He also highlighted the emergence of new AI-related positions and the growing competition for experienced professionals in the field, noting that senior AI personnel are being aggressively recruited worldwide.
“What you will see over the course of this year into next year is that there is a new batch of jobs that’s being created, one of those being the Chief AI Officer. Won’t you guys agree that every single organisation will be using AI in the future? Absolutely. So how do we get this talent?”
The title of his presentation to the TTCSI was “The 2026 AI Playbook”.