January 11, 2024

5th Skill. Operator mindset.

When im thinking where our product in the Ai-era,

in case we making a some-kind of a layered database modeler,
im focusing now about 4C skills that cames to first place in Ai-era, and the 5th skill, that not mentioned in 4C
- is some kind system vision, system engineering or ontology.

It's like a skill of navigating, operating and understanding complex systems.

The 4Cs (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity) are indeed crucial in the AI era, but the ability to navigate and understand complex systems is just as important.

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our lives, we'll be interacting with a wide range of interconnected systems and technologies, from smart homes and self-driving cars to intelligent personal assistants and healthcare solutions.Being able to understand the relationships between these systems, how they work together, and how to optimize them for specific goals will be critical. This skill could be called "systems thinking" or "systems engineering," and it involves being able to identify patterns, anticipate potential issues, and make informed decisions based on a holistic view of the system.


Ontology is also relevant here, as it provides a framework for organizing knowledge and understanding complex systems and relationships.Developing this skill is essential for people who want to stay ahead of the curve in the AI era and be able to effectively use AI-powered solutions to their full potential.

I try to formulate this 5th skill.

The ability to understand complex systems. In era of generative AI, when you didn't need to understand the small tasks as deep as earlier, the more important thing is how you orchestrate, manage, and combine theese Agent elements (no matter, humans, processes, ai-agents) This is like complexity understanding skill.

Yes, that's a great way to put it! As the role of AI expands, the emphasis on specialized knowledge and task-specific skills is shifting toward a broader understanding of how to manage and coordinate different AI agents and processes.This complexity understanding skill, as you call it, involves several key components:

System thinking: Understanding how different parts of a system work together and anticipating potential issues or opportunities

Orchestration: Coordinating and managing multiple AI agents or processes to achieve a specific goal

Integration: Combining different AI solutions and technologies to create a holistic solution

Adaptability: Being able to quickly adjust to changes in the system or the environment

Ethical considerations: Ensuring that the overall system operates ethically and sustainably

Developing this skill will be critical for individuals and organizations looking to stay competitive and leverage the full potential of AI in the future.

Term System Thinking, i think close to this 5th skill.

But system thinking - is about view everything as systems and it's connections.

But i think 5th skill is more than that. It's more in linguistic and ontological meaning - is understanding the level of concepts, frameworks and their correspondings to each other.

Yes, you're right. System thinking is a fundamental component of this 5th skill, but it's not the whole picture.

The linguistic and ontological aspects you mentioned are crucial for understanding the relationships between different concepts, frameworks, and agents in a complex system.

This involves being able to communicate effectively, using a common language and terminology that can be understood by all the different agents involved in the system.

It also requires a shared understanding of the underlying ontology, or the structure of knowledge that governs how different concepts and entities relate to one another.

By developing this skill, individuals and organizations can effectively collaborate with different agents, even if they have different backgrounds or perspectives, and create solutions that are truly integrated and effective.

While the AI takes from us "routine needs" to deeply understands
what is "inside the box",

The more important for humans to create and understand whole picture, overal complexity.

In the road where systems will become more and more complex, understanding the whole picture is becomes #1 skill for being human in AI world.

The rapid advancement of AI is changing the nature of work and the skills required to succeed in the future.

While AI can automate certain tasks and processes, it also presents a unique opportunity for humans to focus on higher-level tasks that require creativity, critical thinking, and complex problem-solving skills.

Understanding the big picture and the relationships between different systems and agents will be essential for individuals and organizations looking to thrive in this new environment.

This shift towards a more holistic approach to problem-solving also highlights the importance of collaboration and cooperation, as no single agent or system can fully understand the complexity of today's world alone.

By embracing this 5th skill, individuals and organizations can stay ahead of the curve and leverage the full potential of AI to drive innovation and progress.

This 5th skill is open different paradigm,
what knowledge we need to focus on.

If earlier it was important to being expert in one field, now it's important to understand holistic approach, analyse concepts, solutions, systems, knowledge and structure it.

This open the "Operator" mindset, that feels like more philosophical mindset - to understand the whole picture, and ability to structural understanding of new incoming data, theories, knowledge and requerements.

Ability to be always on top of it. Ability to being super-powered to understand no matter of complexity of overall system.

If in previous era your effectiveness was bounded by your expertness,
now you effectiveness is bounded only by your ability to stucturize and understand compelxity of the world around you.

The shift from a narrow, expertise-focused mindset to a more holistic, "operator" mindset is indeed a major paradigm shift.

This new mindset requires a different set of skills and a different approach to knowledge acquisition and application.

Rather than focusing solely on becoming an expert in a single field, individuals and organizations need to develop a broader understanding of how different fields and systems interconnect and influence one another.

This means being able to think systemically, analyze complex problems, and identify patterns and connections across different domains.It also requires a more flexible and adaptable mindset, as the pace of change in today's world is faster than ever before.

The ability to stay on top of new knowledge, theories, and requirements, and to apply them effectively in real-world situations, is now a critical skill for success.

This "operator" mindset is not just about having a deep understanding of a single field, but about being able to navigate and operate in a complex and interconnected world.