Applicants should lean into their “human” skills and tap into their authentic selves to stand out as artificial intelligence shakes up the job market, said North Texas workforce and education leaders at a Wednesday panel.

The Education Lab and the Future of North Texas, The Dallas Morning News’ community-funded journalism initiatives, hosted the discussion at Shops at RedBird. Wilborn P. Nobles III, The News’ workforce readiness and economic mobility reporter, moderated the event. The panel aimed to give residents a place to listen, learn and ask questions to gain an edge in a competitive job market. 

AI is limiting opportunities for workers in industries most exposed to it, a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas report found. Since 2022, the year ChatGPT launched, overall employment has grown in the country. Yet, employment is down roughly 1% across the 10% of sectors most at risk for encroachment by AI.  

Those changes invoke fear and anxiety, the speakers acknowledged, but AI opens up possibilities. They drew comparisons to a time when other machines such as the typewriter and calculator threatened to overhaul the status quo. 

“The typewriter took you from writing, but in reality, it didn’t stop you from clearly communicating,” Herndon said. 

While artificial intelligence is — as the name implies — intelligent, it can only go so far, Adams said. 

“Artificial intelligence is only as good as authentic input,” he said. “You’re going to need somebody to generate these prompts … and that’s where you come in.”

Schools are rushing to equip students in an emerging field. The University of North Texas is launching an undergraduate degree in AI, after seeing success in its graduate program. Southern Methodist University is partnering with engineering company AECOM to develop engineers with specializations in AI. 

Dallas College started embedding Google’s AI certification in technical writing courses, Morris said. 

While “AI fluency” is becoming a “new durable skill,” students also need to develop an “ethical fluency,” he said. Students should ask themselves: Is this an area where AI should replace a human? 

Human connection and human relationships still matter in getting a job and succeeding on the job, they said.

In 2025, Bank of America invested about $40 million in workforce initiatives across the country, including roughly $1.05 million in North Texas. A “significant” amount went into training soft skills, according to Collier.

“Those soft skills must happen,” Collier said. “They’re nonnegotiable in our industry.”

Adams encouraged job seekers to be authentic. 

“I don’t care if you’re flipping burgers at McDonald’s,” he said. “But the way you flip that burger, the way you do that, is something only you know.”

Attendee Bob Mitchell brought his grandchildren, who are in college, to the panel. The retired computer salesman can’t fully grasp how AI works or what it means for the future. 

But he knows meeting “door openers” will always be a big step in the job search.   

“The world is totally different today than when I was working,” Mitchell said. “I just hope they have the skills to build the relationships.”

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.