Six out of ten minors already use generative Artificial Intelligence in their daily school lives, according to the report EU Kids Online. A statistic that not only challenges educators and families, but also reaches directly to the tables of the departments of People & Culture of big technology companies, since the young people who learn with AI today are the professionals who will join the labor market tomorrow. Veronica ArteagaPeople and Culture Director de Softtech For EMEA, you are already seeing it firsthand.
Verónica Arteaga describes a profound change in the relationship that junior profiles have with knowledge. For them, consulting an AI is as natural as it was for previous generations to open an encyclopedia. The challenge, in his opinion, is not technical but cognitive; It is not about knowing how to use the tools, but about maintaining the critical capacity to evaluate them, detect their biases and not place blind faith in them.
Softtek responds to this scenario with an upskilling strategy focused on comprehensive AI literacy, which goes beyond technical use to encompass the understanding of its limits and its algorithmic operation. In this interview, Verónica Arteaga also addresses how the company manages the digital well-being of its employees in the face of a disturbing phenomenon: the growing use of generative AI as an emotional confidant.
(MCPRO) The EU Kids Online report reveals that six out of ten children already use generative AI, integrated on a daily basis into their school routines. From your position at the head of People & Culture at Softtek EMEA, are you noticing a change in the skills profile of junior professionals who join the company? In what aspects is this transformation most evident?
(Verónica Arteaga) At Softtek we observe that learning is no longer a process of data accumulation, but of interpretation. The junior profiles that join today have a much more immediate relationship with knowledge; For them, consulting an AI is as natural as it was for other generations to open an encyclopedia.
The transformation is most evident in the agility to structure and synthesize information. However, the current challenge is not “knowing how to press buttons”, but the ability to evaluate that information, detect biases and ask the right questions. We are looking for professionals who understand that autonomy today involves knowing how to live with AI without placing blind faith in it.
(MCPRO) One of the debates that the report opens is whether the use of AI to summarize texts or write papers erodes capabilities such as one’s own reasoning or cognitive effort. In the corporate environment, how does Softtek value the balance between the support offered by AI and the development of its own cognitive and analytical skills in its teams? Is there a risk that professionals will over-delegate to these tools?
(Verónica Arteaga) There is, indeed, a real risk that speed replaces understanding and depth in learning is lost. At Softtek we see AI as a boost to critical thinking, as long as it is used to compare points of view and question results, not just to solve tasks automatically.
The differential value of our equipment is not in the tool, but in what we do with it. We do not want professionals to delegate their judgment; We encourage them to use AI to explore and expand perspectives, always maintaining control over the context and final guidance of the work.
(MCPRO) If traditional educational models are being questioned by the emergence of AI in classrooms, corporate development programs must also rethink their methodologies. What specific changes has Softtek introduced or is introducing in its training and upskilling strategy to ensure that its professionals get the most out of these tools without losing critical capabilities?
(Verónica Arteaga) Following our vision that technology redefines learning, our upskilling strategy focuses on comprehensive AI literacy. This does not only consist of teaching the technical use of the tools, but also of training our professionals to understand their limits, their possible errors and their algorithmic operation.
Our goal is to accompany our collaborators with training that allows them to use AI safely and with purpose, eliminating fear of technology, but always reinforcing individual responsibility.
(MCPRO) The EU Kids Online report detects an emerging use of generative AI as a space for emotional confidentiality among young people, who convey fears, doubts and personal concerns. This phenomenon has a clear projection in the work environment. From People & Culture, how does Softtek address the mental health and digital well-being of its employees in a context where AI occupies more and more space in daily and professional life?
(Verónica Arteaga) We are especially concerned about the use of AI as an emotional confidant, since, although it can simulate empathy, it can never replace emotional accompaniment or the human gaze. At Softtek, we address digital well-being remembering that real communication between people is what generates safe environments.
We promote a space of trust and transparency, where technology is an ally and not a risk for emotional development. Our priority is that the employee feels accompanied by people, cultivating a corporate culture where human well-being prevails over digital immediacy.
(MCPRO) Softtek is a global leader in next-generation digital solutions and, as such, composes the ecosystem that shapes the technological environment in which young people grow up. Beyond the responsibility of schools and families, what specific role should technology companies assume to promote critical, responsible and ethical use of AI among new generations? Does Softtek have initiatives in this regard?
(Verónica Arteaga) As technology leaders, we have a great responsibility to build clear, secure and ethical tools. Our role must go beyond innovation; We must guarantee transparency and explain how these technologies work so that they do not pose a risk to young people.
At Softtek we firmly believe in collaboration between schools, families and companies. Our contribution is to bring that technological expertise to create a coherent environment where AI truly benefits learning and society. We work to make technology a real ally that stimulates the autonomy of new generations, so that technical progress always goes hand in hand with ethics and respect for privacy.
