Skills Come First. The Podcast About How to Stay Current

Competences in the era of clickbait and fake news

Łukasz Grass and his guest, Artur Kurasiński, discuss how to cope with the side effects of living in a digital world, what competences we need to do so, and why it is so important to confirm them through microcredentials.

The guest on another episode of the podcast is Artur Kurasiński – entrepreneur, investor, author of the book “STARTUPOWCY. Jak polskie start-upy podbijają świat” (STARTUPPERS. How Polish Start-ups Are Conquering the World), as well as the creator of the blog kurasinski.com and the “Technofobia” podcast.

AI – the pace of change beyond our control

The pace of transformation in today’s world raises concerns, particularly in the context of the rapid development of artificial intelligence and AI-based tools. Increasingly, the question is whether we can keep up with this process and maintain any control over it.

“Our level of knowledge about generative artificial intelligence is constantly changing. These days, there is practically a breakthrough every week,” argues Artur Kurasiński.

What until recently existed only as visions of the future is now becoming reality – or soon will be.

“In theory, we still understand and can fairly clearly describe how artificial intelligence works. For instance, we are still able to explain why such systems hallucinate. But at this stage we must also admit that we do not know where the development of AI may ultimately lead,” emphasises Artur Kurasiński.

The digital world – how to find our way in it

So how can we navigate a world dominated by new technologies and increasingly dependent on artificial-intelligence tools – especially when the way they operate and their potential directions of development are becoming less and less clear and predictable?

“We are flooded with such a vast amount of information of all kinds that we are simply unable to process it all and inevitably treat it selectively. For this reason, the essential approach for all users of digital solutions is to remain cautious and keep a critical distance from every piece of information. We must develop the habit of verifying it. If someone believes that everything written on the internet is true, they will quickly feel the consequences. The same applies to AI,” says Artur Kurasiński.

The way we function in the digital sphere is best illustrated by the scale of the impact of social media. Even those who deliberately avoid using them cannot be entirely sure that they remain beyond the reach of their owners’ influence or control mechanisms.

“More than 50 percent of Poles use social media as a source of information. Even those who try to stay outside this world, for instance by deleting their Facebook account, are still monitored by its owners, because Facebook today also incorporates WhatsApp and Instagram. It is impossible to opt out of it completely. That is why the most important thing is to learn how to use these media wisely, or to rely on authorities attempting to regulate them, as the European Union is doing,” notes Artur Kurasiński. 

One of the challenges in learning to use new technologies effectively is the constant evolution of AI tools, capabilities and solutions.

“One possible approach is to maintain a state of constant scepticism; we cannot use any tool, whether artificial intelligence or social media, uncritically. Top-down solutions are also necessary, above all, well-designed education. The foundation should be teaching critical thinking and the ability to verify information,” emphasises Artur Kurasiński.

Microcredentials and the skills of the future

In a time of declining authorities, an overflow of fake news and the unavoidable hallucinations of AI tools, we ourselves must be capable of assessing the reliability of data and deciding what is true. If we cannot search for information in the right sources and do not develop the habit of verifying everything we encounter – both in the digital world and beyond – it will be easy to lose our way in the new reality.

This is why a healthy scepticism, combined with the ability to verify information independently, is becoming so valuable today. Since these abilities, classified as future competences, are and will remain crucial in dealing with the challenges of modern life, they will also be essential on the labour market. It will therefore be necessary to confirm them through modern digital tools such as microcredentials and digital badges.

Watch the full podcast episode to learn more about this topic!