The new industrial revolution, driven by artificial intelligence, is following a path similar to its predecessors: taking something once expensive—human brain power—and making it incredibly cheap. While worrying stories, including the recent Milburn report on Young People and Work, suggest this AI revolution is killing entry-level jobs, there is hope for younger entrants. Simon Williams, founder at WovenLight, argues that young graduates should be excited about the opportunities AI presents.
The Need for Hybrid Talent
At London Tech Week, AI is dominating conversations about how the UK and its workforce need to adapt to stay competitive globally. Williams emphasizes that asset management and investment companies will look very different in the future, requiring deeper capabilities in data, machine learning, and AI. This shift demands a totally different talent mix—one that is hybrid.
Using a sporting analogy, Williams compares hybrid workers to modern football, basketball, and rugby players who can play multiple positions. By understanding both business and technology, workers can become hybrid players, moving beyond narrow specializations. The future belongs to those who can code, map workflows, interrogate messy data, design around humans, and solve commercial problems.
Building a Hybrid Workforce
At WovenLight, rather than replacing entry-level jobs with AI, the company hires more junior staff and trains them with AI to rapidly evolve their skills. Entry-level analysts perform like associates, associates like principals, and principals like directors. This approach benefits both employees and the company. WovenLight's model brings 10 engineers for every investor, ensuring hands-on involvement. Engineers are core to the business, not support staff, and participate in the carry structure, making them first-class citizens.
Rethinking Education
Williams criticizes the UK education system for narrowing young people's education too early, forcing them into technical lanes. The future needs hybrid graduates with technical fluency plus judgement, creativity, context, and human understanding. He suggests reframing STEM to STEHM, incorporating humanities, judgement, critical thinking, and contextual awareness. Studying history, for example, teaches how to navigate conflicting evidence and build rational conclusions—an underrated skill in the AI world.
A Positive Outlook
Williams believes the UK has a tradition of creating great polymaths with strong human skills like creativity and judgement. This gives the country an advantage in the AI revolution. By fostering hybrid talent, Britain can forge an exciting future. The key is to embrace curiosity, continuous learning, and collaboration among brilliant engineers.
