The Future of Work - Part 3

Who (or what) will be working in the future?

Welcome to the third (and final) installment on the future of work. The first two installments covered topics such as where we will be working and what jobs will look like in the future. For this final newsletter of the series, we're taking a bit of a sidestep by exploring whether humans will still be working in the future or will we simply be programming computers to handle our tasks while we relax on the beach sipping cocktails?

An integral factor in all of this is the time horizon you consider. If we're looking 200 years down the line, it's possible that humans won't be working at all. However, over the next 10, 20, or 30 years, it's difficult to envision a scenario where humans won't play a vital role in the workforce.

Indeed, machines will replace humans in many jobs, especially jobs that involve repetitive or dangerous tasks. We can already see this in the manufacturing industry on production lines. However, these jobs will be replaced in other sectors. According to the World Economic Future of Jobs report, 85 million jobs may be displaced by machines, while 97 million new jobs will be created. 

What about AGI?

Firstly, what is AGI? There are many definitions of how AGI can be defined. However, two of the simplest definitions we have found are; the ability of computer systems to understand, learn and respond as humans do or as defined by OpenAI - AI systems that are generally smarter than humans. There is also dispute over whether AGI is actually possible vs those who believe we are quite close to achieving it within the next 10-15 years.

AGI is important in this conversation over whether we will have to work in the future because if an AI system that is generally smarter than humans exists, why would we have to work? Even the most skilled and technical jobs (data scientists, doctors, engineers) could be replaced by a computer that could do work that takes hours in a matter of seconds. It is both a scary and fascinating thing to think about. Although, it remains to be seen whether this is even a possibility.

How do I adapt to this new world?

Now that we have you questioning your existence, let’s finish on a lighter note of how we can adapt to this new world of AI and robotics.

Embrace Technology - “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” - Charles Darwin

Try integrate AI into your daily work schedule, read some of the amazing books there is out there on the topic. Those who embrace these technologies will be fine, its those who ignore it will get left behind.

Research Jobs that are less likely to be impacted

This is a tip for our younger readers. When choosing what to study, choose jobs that are less likely to be replaced by AI or robotics. There is always going to be engineers, doctors etc as we will always need people to develop, monitor and quality-check AI and Robotics.

Build your network

Finally, make as many high-quality connections as possible. Become a thought-leader and a voice that people can trust, ideally in a topic such as AI or robotics.

What else is going on in the world of tech?

Google launched Gemini, its most Powerful suite of AI models yet last week… and then admitted that the (quite incredible) demo was staged.

Netflix takes another big step into gaming. The streaming giant is launching a trio of Grand Theft Auto games onto its platform, made available free of charge to paying subscribers from 14th December (yesterday).

Huawei is understood to have plans to open it’s first factory in Europe. This is despite some European governments being sceptical of some of its products.