2025 Concordia Annual Summit

Navigating the AI Revolution: Workforce Development, Policy, and Inclusion

  • Innovative Technology
Jason Dean, Nick Tzitzon, H.E. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović

Session
Partners

Session Summary

Important
Quotations

"I have twins who are seniors in high school, so I’m very much thinking about college, and they’re thinking about what they want to study. For all the young people out there, as they look ahead to a workforce that will be shaped by this technology for the rest of their lives."
Jason Dean
"We always make the mistake of putting the technology first, which is the exact wrong order to do it in. When was the last time we actually asked people in their job, what exactly would you change? What exactly do you do that you believe is wasted time?"
Nick Tzitzon
"Building AI without trust would be like building a skyscraper on sand. It would be an amazing project, but it would fall apart pretty quickly. So trust is an essential element in all of it."
H.E. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović

Key
Takeaways

  • Trust as Foundation for AI Adoption: The biggest lesson from EU integration applies to AI: building trust with citizens is essential. “Building AI without trust would be like building a skyscraper on sand.” Without public confidence, even the most advanced AI initiatives will fail to achieve widespread adoption and societal benefit.

 

  • Human-Centric AI Development Approach: AI should enhance rather than replace human capabilities. The focus must shift from “what does it mean for the job I have” to how AI can eliminate wasteful tasks and allow workers to focus on uniquely human skills like creativity, empathy, and complex problem-solving.


  • Education as a Lifelong Escalator, Not a Staircase: Traditional education models are insufficient for the AI era. “We tend to look at education as a staircase leading up to graduation, but it’s an escalator” that requires continuous movement throughout one’s career. The government and private sector must collaborate on comprehensive re-skilling programs.


  • Diversity Crisis in AI Development: Current AI teams often look like “a gathering of clones” 5, which creates systemic bias and inequality. Research shows girls are already lagging behind boys in digital literacy, threatening to create a new “digital wall that could grow into another iron curtain.”


  • Wrong Order of Implementation: The technology sector repeatedly makes the mistake of “putting the technology first, which is the exact wrong order to do it in.” Companies are deploying AI as “a bottom line exercise where the faster we can get the technology deployed, the sooner we can remove big factions of the workforce.”

 

Action
Items

  • For Government Leaders: Establish consistent AI regulations, incentivize genuine workforce re-skilling, and create cross-sector programs to expand opportunities and reduce socioeconomic and gender divides.

 

  • For Private Sector: Implement AI solutions that enhance human capabilities, prioritize inclusive development from diverse perspectives, and demonstrate measurable commitment to workforce growth.

 

  • For Educational Institutions: Transform education toward lifelong learning, integrate AI literacy and human-AI collaboration skills, and provide continuous upskilling pathways across careers.

 

  • For Young Professionals: Actively experiment with AI tools to build practical skills, while balancing personal passion with realistic career planning and adaptability.

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