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4 SCENARIOS FOR YOUR WORKING FUTURE
Blake Morgan [CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FUTURIST]
- Senior Contributor The CMO Network
Robots are already starting to take jobs from
hourly human workers, and it’s going to continue.
Research from McKinsey found that 45% of current
jobs can be automated. We need to stop avoiding the situation and create real
solutions to help displaced workers. You can’t simply put a stop on technology
innovation. Bans often create worse situations than allowing people to innovate
but closely watching how we innovate, and the impact to society. Many famous
leaders have joined Elon Musk to start something called Open AI, a non-profit
artificial intelligence (AI) research company that aims to promote and develop
friendly AI in such a way as to benefit humanity as a whole.
Displaced workers could potentially get re-trained
to apply their skills elsewhere. A displaced customer service employee knows
how to solve problems and be efficient. They could potentially re-skill to
build on their existing skills and work in a different area.
Even employees who aren’t at risk for being
displaced should expand their skills. People move between jobs more often these
days, and that provides opportunities to expand their skillsets. The most
prepared employees take advantage of online courses, community college classes
and industry seminars to expand their skills and even get certifications in new
areas. Many companies already provide training and re-skilling for their
employees. Perhaps more organizations and governments need to follow in their
footsteps.
02- Move Them To Other Jobs
While it’s true there are often plenty of jobs
available in these areas, unfortunately these important jobs often don’t pay
well. In large cities, like where I live in the Bay Area, working in these jobs
simply wouldn’t give people enough money to live without a universal basic
income. However, these positions are fairly safe from being displaced by robots
and can provide job security.
03- The Technologies Create New Jobs For Both The Short
And Long-Term
If this is the case, displaced workers could
potentially have more options of where to go. However, it also makes it
difficult to encourage workers in jobs that are at risk of being replaced by
robots to expand their skillset if we don’t know what skills will be the most
important.
Some experts have predicted that soft human skills
like communication, creativity and empathy will always be needed because robots
can’t replicate those skills. However, new inventions could open the door to
other hard skills that could be required and in high demand in the future.
04 - Not Everyone Will Work
The impacts of this possibility are far-reaching.
It’s possible we would see more people using welfare and needing affordable
housing options. Society would have to find something displaced workers could
do to contribute and make a difference, even in a small way.
Perhaps it will be more of a sci-fi situation where
only people who want to work will work. All other tasks will be done by robots,
and those who choose not to work can enjoy other activities. That extreme
possibility is definitely a long way off, though it can still be considered.
AI and robots are the inevitable future. They will play a role in everyone’s future jobs, whether that means they make it easier or replace it. We need to have conversations now about what to do with displaced workers so we can be prepared when the time comes.
Blake Morgan
Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist. Blake is the author of two books on customer experience. She is the author of the new book "The Customer Of The Future"