Lynx Educate’s Sylvie Milverton: Universities often unequipped as young people need critical thinking and AI literacy
There has been an onslaught of content in recent times covering AI’s impact on the job market and specifically early careers. It’s time to reimagine what work recent graduates will do now that AI is capable of taking care of much of the grunt work that, until now, has fuelled how we structure learning for entry level jobs, especially in the knowledge economy.
So says Lynx Educate’s Sylvie Milverton.
In a LinkedIn post, in which she discussed a recent World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) hosted discussion entitled ‘Workforce Disruption Unfolding: Towards an AI powered Learning’, she said: “It was a refreshing - and fun - conversation that went beyond AI to examine the broader forces affecting learning and work.”
She added: “As an aside, I wonder how many months it will be before we no longer mention AI because it's just the way everything is, the same way we now don’t mention how electricity or the internet or mobile phones are impacting something, they just exist.”
Her takeaways from the aforementioned event included:
Young people need critical thinking and AI literacy. Not just how to use tools, but how to filter noise and learn how to identify relevant information for decision-making.
Universities are often unequipped to prepare students for the world of work. Meanwhile, vocational training has historically been undervalued, when those skills are much needed.
95% of the world's population is employed by small businesses. “We need a smarter ecosystem: local, ethical, and focused on upskilling where automation won’t win,” Milverton argued.
Time is the main blocker to upskilling and AI adoption. “Let’s build smaller, sharper learning spaces, so it's less challenging to make time to learn, and we balance AI automation with cognitive function,” she stated, concluding: “Overall, a positive outlook even with so much uncertainty on how these big trends in AI will impact the job market, and how quickly.”
RTIH AI in Retail Awards
Our sister title, RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, which is now open for entries.
As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.
With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.
Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.
Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Wednesday, 3rd September.
This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.
Please email our Editor, Scott Thompson, if you have any questions or need further information: scott.thompson@retailtechinnovationhub.com
Key 2025 dates
Friday, 18th July: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 22nd July: 2025 finalists revealed
Wednesday, 23rd July - Friday, 8th August: Judging days
Wednesday, 3rd September: Winners announced at the 2025 RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, to be held at The Barbican in Central London.
