Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) specialists are prized in today's economy, but psychologists, behavioral scientists and philosophers also have a crucial role for artificial intelligence to succeed, according to the DBS chief executive Piyush Gupta.
Industries that rely on artificial intelligence (AI) are underestimating the role of soft sciences and soft jobs, which will become even more important in the next decade as AI adoption rates grow, and this is an area in which women are well-placed to contribute significantly, DBS chief executive Piyush Gupta said.
DBS is finding it hard to fill tech and STEM roles with women, and this might become a problem if not enough women come through the pipeline as their soft skills and qualities are even more valuable as AI continues to grow, Gupta said at Bloomberg's «Sooner Than You Think» conference held in Singapore on Thursday.
«People focus too hard on the tech component and not enough on the soft skills side of the equation, and that’s where women can come in,» Gupta said in a conversation with Enda Curran, chief Asia Economics, Bloomberg.
«It is important to think about what makes us who we are, what makes us human beings,» Gupta said.
«Tipping Point»
Gupta said that while he is an optimist when it comes to AI and banking, he sees the possibility of a «nightmare scenario,» especially in terms of jobs moving to machines with the world reaching «a tipping point where computers can do everything humans can do, and do it better».
Nonetheless, the market is already making its views known.
«People are voting with their feet,» he added. «They're quite happy to use machines.»
According to Gupta, machines already have better client conversion rates compared to human interaction, and that many DBS customers did not even know they were interacting with machines when dealing with the bank.
