It’s not long to our Think Tank event on the 5th July that we’re co-hosting with Herrmann New Zealand – the whole brain thinking people. We’ve purposefully challenged you to consider a point of view about whether left brainers may not have much of a role to play in the future workforce.
With AI, robots and machine learning current hot topics, and very able to complete rational and logical processing, you could argue this will be the case as they may remove some of the need for human intervention in processing, planning, analysing and solving linear problems.
There’s a lot of media highlighting the risk of technology taking jobs away. Often, ‘blue collar jobs’ are referred to, but these are not the only jobs under threat from automation. There are many traditional ‘white collar jobs’ at risk as well.
Supermarket self-check outs and airport check-in desks are good examples of everyday activities being automated and making life easier, while also replacing jobs. But there are many aspects of AI that will have a wide-reaching impact on how people work and experience life, and these are mostly unseen.
Take the legal profession for example, as reported by Forbes. Much of the research needed of vast volumes of information can now be carried out by computers. This research can involve thousands of documents in the discovery phase of a case. Using sophisticated databases and analytics this can all be automated. Even senior legal professionals may be under threat from predictive modelling.
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Financial professionals are in a similar position. Most of auditing can now be run through algorithms that analyse financial data, and prepare accounts and tax returns. The stock markets have been enabled by technology for a long time and while bank tellers have competed with ATMs for decades, higher level bankers could also have their advice automated. Call centres can now have much of their work managed by chat bots and even media stories such as those from the 2016 Olympics are being generated thanks to AI intelligent narrative.
And so it goes on: insurance brokers, architects, teachers, HR professionals and marketers all have similar threats meaning the way we work in the future will be very different to how it is now – and it’s already changing. The World Economic Forum estimates that AI, robotics, and automation could replace 5 million jobs around the world in just 3 years.
There is currently no framework within which we can be guided to make decisions about whether robots and AI should or could undertake activities. However, if tasks are predictable and mistakes don’t carry significant costs, then it is likely someone will find a way to create an automated solution for those tasks.
AI and robots are going to impact all our lives and it probably doesn’t matter which profession you are in.
As a result there’s a lot of fear around the subject of technology taking over, but thankfully there are some careers that are currently perceived as ‘future proofed’, so says the world’s largest job site Indeed.
For example, chefs. It is likely we will continue to savour the opportunity to taste new flavours and have someone else cook for us. Creative professionals in the design area and marketing are noted as potentially future proof as machines don’t think as creatively as humans; as yet anyway.
Others include those in healthcare given the need for human interaction. The interpersonal and communication skills of medical professionals are unlikely to disappear given our ongoing social needs. Doctors, nurses, physios, dentists, community healthcare workers and many others are therefore pretty safe although there could be aspects of their roles that are likely to be automated such as general practitioner advice and diagnostic services.
Education will still require teachers despite the growth in online education services, and finally of course there will be roles for technologists and data scientists. In the future they will be integral in developing and supporting the growing influx of automated systems, creating calm from the innovators’ chaos, and ensuring that whatever framework we do create for technology decisions, is maintained and worked within.
Taking lead from Derek Handley, the entrepreneur behind the Hyperfactory and the B-Team, instead of thinking that technology is causing job losses, we should be thinking about it creating job changes. Seeing opportunities for all the different thinkers available in our communities, we can face this future together.
It’s not like humanity hasn’t been here before. Throughout history the arrival of technology in all its forms, from the wheel to the ATM, has not eliminated jobs entirely, and we’ve adapted and carried on. Our economies have changed as well, and we are seeing this happen again. The only difference this time is the speed and this in itself is spurring a lot of debate.
But discussion isn’t enough – we now need to focus on what we can do today to help create cultures and organisations that are agile and able to change. This is important so that when it arrives we know how to use different capabilities to benefit both individuals and organisations. It will also mean our workforce being able to embrace change rather than resisting it and then being impacted by it.
We are looking forward to a good debate and action planning – see you on Wednesday 5th July.
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