Artificial intelligence is transforming the world of work, but preparing young people for the future will require much more than technical skills.
A recent article from the United Nations Youth Office explores how young people can develop the combination of digital, human and ethical skills needed to navigate an increasingly unpredictable labour market. The scale of the challenge is significant: over the next decade, around 1.2 billion young people are expected to enter the labour market, while only around 420 million jobs are projected globally.
Human skills will remain essential
As AI becomes more capable, skills such as critical thinking, creativity, communication, empathy, adaptability and ethical judgement are becoming increasingly important.
The article highlights that AI literacy should not simply mean knowing how to use new tools. Young people also need the ability to question outputs, recognise risks, consider consequences and decide when technology should or should not be used.
This closely reflects the approach of VALUES. Preparing young people for an AI-enabled future means combining technical confidence with the ability to use AI critically, ethically and responsibly.
Opportunity must also be inclusive
The UN Youth Office also stresses that future-ready skills are only useful when young people have fair opportunities to develop and apply them.
Digital access remains highly unequal around the world, meaning that advances in AI could widen existing inequalities if access to connectivity, education and skills is not addressed.
The article therefore presents AI education as part of a wider challenge: ensuring young people are not only prepared to adapt to technological change, but are also able to participate in shaping how that change affects society.
For VALUES, this is an important message. Young people should not simply learn how to fit into an AI-driven future. They should be equipped with the skills, confidence and values needed to help shape that future themselves.
Further reading to original article: Shaping Tomorrow: Young Leaders on Skills, AI and Opportunity, published by the United Nations Youth Office on 11 August 2026: https://www.un.org/youthaffairs/en/news/shaping-tomorrow-young-leaders-skills-ai-and-opportunity