Devanshu [Blog]

If there’s one phrase that represents innovation in the last couple years, it’s "Artificial Intelligence”. From smartphones, self-driving cars, and even coffee machines, nearly every new product launching to market tries to integrate it. Companies are rushing to adopt it, headlines celebrate its breakthroughs, and many of us interact with AI without even realizing it. But as the excitement grows, so do the questions. Is AI truly transforming the world, or is it still more impractical than we’d like to admit?

One of the biggest concerns of the rise of Artificial Intelligence is the impact it has on the job market. A December 2023 survey by EY US found that 65% of US employees are anxious about AI replacing their specific jobs, and 75% are concerned that AI will make certain jobs obsolete in general [Source]. In fact, we’ve seen almost 94,000 positions being eliminated this year alone with AI listed as a contributing factor. With statistics like these, it is easy to fall into a trap of “doom and gloom” and believe that many of our careers are over before they even started. However, it’s also important to note the inconsistency of companies’ decisions on using AI. For instance, the “buy-now pay-later” giant Klarna laid off nearly 700 employees after their CEO bragged that he hadn’t hired a human in a year, only to rollback just several months later. Fast-food rivals McDonald’s and Taco Bell also tried integrating AI into their drive-thru system, but covered their attempts immediately after realizing its inconsistency. Putting these case studies aside and considering the broader industry, surveys from MIT have found that nearly 95% of corporate AI rollouts are failing to deliver expected returns.

Why?

It’s because AI is expected to act as a person, but sacrifice all the elements that make us human. This idea also begs the question, is AI really "Artificially Intelligent” then?

I say no. We type a prompt into any popular LLM and are instantly astonished by how it talks and responds to us, but there is really nothing special about it; there is never an original thought or a thoughtful response. When I first learned about how LLMs worked, I found it helpful to think of them as search engines that summarize information from the top results. Models are trained on information available (both public and private) and can be guided to recognize patterns, but it is impossible to teach it to create ideas of its own. Every output from any AI model today is simply a compilation of information that was written and published by a human being. It does not possess the ability to create new pieces of information, whether that be art, music, poems, or even lines of code.

Moreover, one of the lesser considered aspects of the use of AI is its impact on the environment. Mark Moran (Head of Data, Systems & Intelligence at Bayer, ex. John Deere) gave a talk at UIUC just several weeks ago discussing the implications that AI has on our future. Outside of the effects that AI might have on career opportunities, Moran spoke about the true costs of operating accessible models. For instance, a single text prompt to Google's Gemini system uses about 0.24 watt-hour (same as a high-efficiency LED bulb for several minutes), while a single AI image generation can use the energy equivalent of fully charging a smartphone. Outside of prompting alone, the rise of new data centers all across the globe implies a new type of energy crisis: power stations cannot supply the massive amount of energy that new data centers need in current towns. AI data centers strain power grids by rapidly increasing electricity demand, especially in regions with high concentrations of facilities. Local governments are now faced with the issue of either increasing electricity costs for residents or gambling millions of dollars into building new energy infrastructure. If AI does end up cementing itself in today’s world, it needs to be more energy conscious of the world around it.

Everything said above is the opinion of of a college student who eats noodles and tacos everyday, so it's definitely not the most reliable perspective. However, I was extremely fortunate to meet Arvind Krishna (the CEO of IBM Computers) and Sidney Lu (CEO of Foxconn Interconnect Technologies, also has a building named after him on campus!). When asked about their thoughts, they both answered that AI is a tool that still needs refining, but is here to stay. Just food for thought (get it? Better than my food for sure).

Regardless of whether AI continues to be groundbreaking or just another tech fad, it is important for us to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. The hype around AI can sometimes overshadow the very real challenges it poses, from issues of privacy, questions about job displacement, and plans for energy needs. Aside from AI itself, the power and influence wielded by these Big Tech companies are also worth scrutinizing, especially in terms of how they handle our data and shape public views. Ultimately, AI’s place in today's society is still to be generated.

Think big, think bold. -Arvind Krishna when asked for best advice ever given

Over the last decade, the idea of what counts as a “skill” has quietly undergone a transformation. For most of modern history, being skilled meant mastering a specific craft: from blacksmiths in the medieval era to machinists in the Industrial Revolution, learning your craft was a time-intensive process that defined the trajectory you would follow for the rest of your career. The expectation was that once you learned the tools and techniques of your trade, you could rely on that knowledge for the rest of your life without needing to adapt.

But today, technology is evolving so rapidly that the half-life of any single skill is shrinking. Entire software platforms rise and fall within a few years, new programming tools replace older ones almost overnight, and business technologies update faster than CS374 can update its website (great and helpful class, but we could really use some Illini Blue and Orange on there!). Many trending roles today including roles such as “data analyst,” “AI product manager,” or “cloud engineer” didn’t exist a decade ago, yet now they’re among the most in-demand positions in the job market.

So what really matters now?

While hard skills still matter, they no longer stand on their own. Technology is advancing too quickly, and industries are becoming too interconnected for any single skill to remain sufficient. Moreover, with the advent of free AI-tools, it is becoming increasingly easier for people to perform tasks that once required specialized training in a manner of minutes. Instead, the focus has shifted toward adaptability; the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn as tools, workflows, and expectations evolve. Employers increasingly value people who can bridge disciplines, communicate across teams, and pick up new technologies without needing months of training. In this new environment, the most valuable “skill” is not mastery of a single domain, but the capacity to move fluidly between many.

Similarly, as skills become less permanent, personal branding takes on a new level of importance. In the past, a resume could center on a fixed set of technical competencies and job titles. Today, however, employers are often less interested in what tools someone has mastered and more interested in how they think, learn, and communicate their value. Personal branding is more about signaling adaptability, curiosity, and growth instead of listing static qualifications. In a rapidly evolving job market, a strong personal brand helps individuals stand out not by claiming expertise in every new technology, but by demonstrating a clear narrative of learning and evolution. This shift reflects a broader change in how skill itself is evaluated: not as a checklist, but as a story of progression.

As Gretchen Holquist, Vice President of Marketing at Ultima, said at a talk on the UIUC campus, though your skills are what keeps you in the door, it is your personal branding that gets you inside first. In many ways, our personal brand represents our professional reputation. Everything we post, share, or create contributes to how others perceive our skills, judgment, and values. Employers, colleagues, and collaborators often form their first impressions based on our digital presence, long before meeting you in person. This means that our social media profiles, portfolio, and blog are not just showcases of our work, but rather they are reflections of who we are as a professional.

One of the simplest yet most powerful ways to build and maintain your personal brand is by creating a professional portfolio. These platforms serve as evidence of your skills, thought process, and growth over time. A well-organized portfolio can showcase projects, case studies, or reflections on topics relevant to your field, and a blog on the side demonstrates your ability to communicate ideas clearly and engage with trends in technology and management. A portfolio and blog become living proof of your hybrid skills, helping potential employers see not just what you can do, but how you think and approach challenges.

Ultimately, the modern industry demands more than mastery of a single task or tool like it did in the past. Personal branding has emerged as a critical factor in how others perceive our value, serving as a reflection of both our reputation and mindsets. By understanding and showcasing hybrid skills and maintaining a thoughtful digital presence, we can stand out in an increasingly competitive and technology-driven world.