Much has been said about the robot revolution, stoking fears that machines are going to replace human workers. It’s certainly true that automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are going to cause widespread job shifts. However, not all jobs will be automated, and those that are won’t necessarily be missed.
An increase in jobs
The World Economic Forum actually predicts that automation will increase the number of jobs. Although 75 million jobs across all industries will be displaced by 2022, 133 million new roles will spring up in their place.
These jobs will take many forms and experts aren’t sure what positions will be created yet, but the roles will have some characteristics in common, namely that they will take advantage of distinctly human traits. Robots and AI aren’t able to empathise, strategise or fully ‘think’ like humans. Whilst current versions of AI, machine learning and deep learning, are still limited to a few specific tasks, an image recognition algorithm would be hopeless at transcribing a voice – and vice versa.
An opportunity for humans
This leaves an opportunity gap for humans to fill. They will have to fulfil the things that AI cannot do. Human oversight will always be required to interpret and act on the results of an algorithm. Empathy will be needed to help humans and robots work more effectively together. To that end, Deloitte has proposed that companies will soon hire Robot Teaming Coordinators to bridge the gap between human teams and robots.
Better work because of robots
For the time being, robots and AI are going to augment work. They will improve it by making it more efficient, less time-intensive and will increase productivity. Manual tasks will be automated, leaving humans to pick up more strategic and creative work. These activities are often more stimulating and interesting, so job satisfaction will probably rise also. Workers will no longer be trapped in menial, boring and low-paying jobs.
The working week will shorten
The productivity benefits offered by AI cannot be overlooked. A boost in efficiency means work can be done faster and to a higher quality. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect that the average working week may shorten. The demise of the 40 hour week would be welcomed by many, especially if pay remains the same or is supplemented by the profits of using AI/data.
Better work/life balance
The possible shortening of the work week would give people more time to focus on their work/life balance. We may witness a rise in side gigs, passion projects and hobbies. Lifelong learning will become a priority. With automation causing sudden career shifts, there’ll be a focus on adaptability and transferrable skills. Empathy, communication, critical thinking and creativity are in-demand skills that will ‘futureproof’ human employees.
A benefit for everyone
Far from fearing AI, automation, and robots – humans should be embracing the technology. Of course, there will be changes to get used to and preparations to make. However, robots coming to the workplace is ultimately a good thing for everyone. It’s going to make work more engaging, what with robots doing the tasks that humans dislike, and boost the bottom-line. Everyone will eventually profit from the rise of robots.
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