IGS was proud to host another thought-provoking Ultimo Series lecture yesterday, welcoming leading researcher and strategist Dr Sandra Peter to speak on the topic Leading the Future: Skills Our Children Need in a Post-AI 21st Century.
Sandra introduced the concept of the Skills Horizon, describing the next decade as one of the most disorienting and transformative periods for young people and their careers. She outlined five major shifts shaping this future: value, technology, energy, accountability and trust.
The value shift, she explained, reflects fractured generational norms and differing expectations across demographics, particularly between young men and women. With five generations now working side-by-side, workplaces face increasing complexity in navigating varied values. Sandra also noted rising anxiety among Gen Z, including fears of phone scams linked to AI, impacting even basic interactions like phone calls.
The technology shift centred on the messy and uneven integration of AI, machine learning and big data. While AI is becoming democratised, with everyone having access to the same tools, Australian organisations remain cautious and uncertain. This shift, Sandra noted, requires not only technical understanding but also strategic adaptability in the face of rapid change.
The energy shift highlighted the growing impact of AI on global power consumption, with projections that AI could use up to 25 per cent of the world’s electricity by 2030. Sandra urged young people to become literate in energy matters to make informed decisions as future leaders.
The accountability shift called for ecosystem-wide thinking, extending beyond organisational silos to include upstream and downstream impacts. Leaders are increasingly expected to engage in complex conversations about policy, sustainability and ethical responsibility.
Meanwhile, the trust shift revealed an erosion of confidence in traditional institutions, science and media. Sandra pointed to platforms like TikTok and Twitch as emerging sources of news for young people, illustrating how communication dynamics have shifted and how trust must be rebuilt in new ways.
In response to these challenges, Sandra presented upskilling as the key to navigating the Skills Horizon, referencing a recent report that identified 36 essential skills across three categories: productive, developmental and emerging. Among these are AI fluency, critical thinking, problem-solving and mega project literacy.
Sandra also shared four key insights for 2025, informally called “blobs”:
- Speak the language of tech, including digital ethics and cybersecurity.
- Solve problems of scale, from global business challenges to the climate crisis.
- Reach common ground, with an emphasis on persuasive storytelling and community-building.
- Ask better questions, nurturing self-leadership, critical reflection, and humanities-based thinking.
She concluded with a compelling call to action: embrace the mindset of a “curious leader.” These are leaders who ask bold questions, seek diverse perspectives, experiment often and commit to lifelong learning.
After the lecture, Sandra answered thoughtful questions about the future perspective of humanities and AI, the impact of AI on knowledge workers, preparing children for the future with AI, educational strategies for teachers, and how to stay informed in a rapidly changing world.
There was strong interest in how best to prepare young people for an AI-influenced future, with Sandra underscoring the importance of domain-specific critical thinking and equipping educators with the right tools and understanding of AI. She also encouraged deliberate engagement with trusted sources of information to remain informed in a fast-evolving digital landscape.
Thank you Sandra Peter for an insightful presentation and for equipping the IGS Community with a clearer understanding of the shifting landscape our students are stepping into.
Stay tuned for the next lecture in the Ultimo Series, where we will explore the topic Helping neurodiverse children and young people to thrive at home and at school with Professor Adam Guastella.
Tickets are available here.
