Economists have worried about the demise of work since automation started transforming American factories in the mid-20th century. Now that AI is on the scene, industry and commerce are standing on the verge of perhaps the greatest rush into automation ever, and the questions have turned philosophical. What will change in the day-to-day way that work gets done, and what will be required of tomorrows workers?
For one thing, theres still no agreement among experts on just how many jobs can or will be replaced by automation. But even putting aside how many jobs we lose or gain, whats clear is that the concepts of employment and labor are now more in flux than theyve ever been. Work wont go away any time soon, but it will continue to change rapidly, and that change will often happen on a foundational levelin these five ways and more.
Most peoples jobs in todays workforce are an amalgamation of tasks, and in many positions, theres at least one manual task that could be automated. Whether its balky spreadsheets or monotonous manual barcode scanning, these tasks are going to be some of the first to be eliminated by automation. The shift will be substantial but could be a net positive. Thats because, with the more repetitive work automated, employees will likely end up taking on roles that are heavier on problem-solving and creativity.
In stores with self-checkouts, for example, cashier jobs are often shifting toward customer service and support roles, while positions in warehouses with automated inventory control can focus more on picking efficiency and accuracy. Manufacturers can now bulk-order customized parts such as electrical enclosures in just a few minutes, eliminating costly and unnecessary steps in the manufacturing process. So, while it might create some disruptions in how duties and positions are structured, the outcome will hopefully be a more engaged and creative workforce.
The U.S. economy has plenty of demand for high-skill jobs in fields such as healthcare and engineering. At the same time, there are many occupations that AI still isnt great at, and these jobs are thriving. The market for janitorial services, for example, has a solid job outlook for the next decade. The middle tier jobs, however, may become an increasingly endangered species thanks to automation of everyday office tasks.
Some economists fear that this hollowing-out of the middle skill tier will further worsen income inequality as the haves take the high-paying jobs at the top and leave the have-nots stuck at the bottom. Its not yet clear how the ramifications for income inequality will shake out, but it certainly gives extra urgency to the need for educational programs that train students for the jobs of the future.
Social skills are one of the major bottlenecks of AI. Researchers havent found a way to automate empathetic response, social cue-reading or the other subtle but critical skills of human interaction. Furthermore, these technological leaps arent considered likely to be solved any time soon. So, in the meantime, people skills are increasing considerably in importance.
The BLS projects a substantial increase in demand for jobs that delve into the human side, with strong employment potential for substance abuse counselors, social workers and psychologists. Moreover, just about every job now requires collaboration skills at some level, and employers say that the so-called soft skills are often difference-makers in the workplace. So, even as the strength of our AIs grows every day, its important to keep cultivating our social skills and our humanity.
One important fact that researchers have learned about machine learning and AI is that its absolutely critical to feed the algorithms accurate and unbiased data. Thats because AI is particularly vulnerable to the garbage in, garbage out problemif the data an AI learns from dont give it a solid grounding in reality, its likely to produce useless or even harmful results.
The incorporation of AI into hiring practices makes this a particularly urgent issue to address. High-profile examples have already shown that incorporating poorly calibrated algorithms into hiring processes can produce discrimination against women and people of color, so any effort to improve diversity will need to include practices for accurate data collection.
On the operations side, meanwhile, data accuracy is just as critical for streamlining processes and creating comfortable facilities. A business that looks at the wrong data can make big missteps in organizing its operations, paying for features that employees dont use or failing to detect when a procedure isnt working. Having data collection infrastructure is only the first step. It has to be collecting the right data.
The Internet is rapidly shifting the physical landscape of work, and its likely to continue as more jobs can be done with not much more than a computer, a phone and an Internet connection. Work no longer has to be a place, only a thing you do. And the effects of decentralized employment will be, if youll pardon the pun, all over the map.
The rise of the digital nomad means that a freelancer can write code for a company in Florida from a beach in Italy, the work-from-home revolution offers new opportunities for parents and people with disabilities and the global nature of the new economy means that teams often have to collaborate across national and even continental borders. There are also exciting new opportunities for small businesses here, as low barriers to entry allow niche specialties and innovative products to thrive.
The 21st century workplace is already a wild ride, but its possiblemaybe even probablethat the changes will only get more momentous. The best advice? Buckle up, prioritize flexibility and never stop learning and improving.
Read more:
5 Ways Automation Will Change the Nature of Work - Robotics Tomorrow
- The Automation Conference - December 9th, 2016 [December 9th, 2016]
- The Best Home Automation Systems of 2016 | Top Ten Reviews - December 24th, 2016 [December 24th, 2016]
- Compact Automation - Actuators, Hydraulic Cylinders, Linear ... - December 24th, 2016 [December 24th, 2016]
- What is Home Automation? | Home Automation Systems - December 24th, 2016 [December 24th, 2016]
- Job Seekers - Automation Personnel Services - December 24th, 2016 [December 24th, 2016]
- iAutomation - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- Beyond Automation - hbr.org - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- Automation The Car Company Tycoon Game on Steam - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- Automation - Wikipedia - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- Build automation - Wikipedia - December 26th, 2016 [December 26th, 2016]
- Home - Enerwave Home Automation - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- Automation | Technologies | Systems | Integrator ... - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- Automation - DESHAZO - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- Custom Automation & Machine Design | Automation GT - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- IT Automation - BMC - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- Werner Electric | Automation - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- Automationtechies | Automation Engineering Recruiting - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- Automation - Mazak Corporation - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- Automation | Food Engineering - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- Test Automation Services for Development of Regression ... - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- UI Automation Overview - msdn.microsoft.com - February 5th, 2017 [February 5th, 2017]
- The Evolution of Automation and What It Means for the Integration Industry - Commercial Integrator - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Automation, robots could replace 250000 public sector workers in the next 15 years - Computer Business Review - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- New telecom transformation goals require service automation - TechTarget - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Automation expected to displace insurance underwriters, real estate brokers - CIO Dive - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- The Perks Of Automation And The Risks: Why To Think Twice About Getting Into That Driverless Uber - Forbes - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Voices Reinventing enterprise finance by overhauling AP automation - Accounting Today - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- DFLabs Launches the First Security Automation and Orchestration Platform based Upon Supervised Active Intelligence - Business Wire (press release) - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- VIDEO: Going Big on Automation in a Small Footprint Facility - ENGINEERING.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Building a better model of human-automation interaction - Phys.org - Phys.Org - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Cruise Automation Is Testing an App For Hailing Self-Driving Cars - Fortune - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- AlixPartners examines automation in manufacturing and logistics management - Logistics Management - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Women need to look out for each other in automated workplaces - The Guardian - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Automation vs. the H-1B visa program: Which matters to employees? - TechTarget - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Automation is the unavoidable future of the economy - The Daily Cougar - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Speeders beware: Legislation would allow automation crackdown ... - SFGate - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Robots versus bureaucrats: Why public sector work is ripe for automation - Financial Post - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Rockwell Automation Surged 10% in January as Growth Picked Up Steam - Motley Fool - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Global Medical Automation Market to Reach Approximately $75.6 Billion by 2025 - By End User, Application ... - PR Newswire (press release) - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Automation 'key' to advancing Thai production - The Nation - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- WorkWave Releases New Lead Management And Marketing ... - PR Newswire (press release) - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- 'We employ insane levels of automation' Kris Canekeratne - Times of India - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Most people are optimistic about workplace automation, social data suggests - ZDNet - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Yes, there's a job creation argument for automation and technology ... - The Hill (blog) - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Technobabble: Automation and the modern worker - CIO Dive - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Improving Behavior Through Automation of Vehicle Systems - School Transportation News (blog) - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Automation Nightmare: Philosopher Warns We Are Creating a World Without Consciousness - Big Think - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Why Don't We See More Automation in Federal Networks? - Nextgov - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Automation can revitalize the US workforce - Fox News - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Readers Write (Feb. 12): The moose population; jobs, start-ups and automation; diversity in the funny pages - Minneapolis Star Tribune - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Automation can replace bureaucrats and save taxpayers money - Hot Air - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- TigerStop hopes to ride automation to new heights - The Columbian - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Your Most Valuable Resource is Time Get More of it through Automation - CMS Critic (press release) (blog) - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- What Does Device Automation Mean for Users? - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry (blog) - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- How To Beat Automation And Not Lose Your Job - Forbes - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Logistics firm gets automation boost - The Straits Times - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- PP Control & Automation launch new video to kick-start exciting plans for 2017 - Manufacturer.com - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Automation's Impace on Data Center Monitoring Alerts - The Data Center Journal - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Hollysys Automation Technologies Reports Unaudited Financial Results for the First Half Year and the Second Quarter ... - PR Newswire (press release) - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- 4 Automation Hacks to Save You Money and Manpower - Yahoo Finance - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Istuary Innovation Group and Bluewrist Partner to Bring Robotics and Automation into China's Manufacturing Sector - Yahoo Finance - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Redwood Software Named a Strong Performer in Independent Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Report - Yahoo Finance - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Boeing ramps up automation, innovation as it readies 737MAX | The ... - The Seattle Times - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Robots and AI are coming for our jobs, but can augmentation save us from automation? - Digital Trends - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- The Impact of Bad Data in Automation: Why Quality Management is Critical - R & D Magazine - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Automation: Are We Empowering Human Interaction Or Displacing It? - Business 2 Community - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Life in the Fast LaneAutomation with Software-Defined Intelligence - InfoWorld - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Luddite Lefty Journalists Apparently Think Workplace Automation is Conservatives' Fault [VIDEO] - Daily Caller - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Will automation define the future of network technology? - TechTarget - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Editorial: Improving automation - The Motorship - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- TigerText Unveils Role-based Scheduling Automation, Amazon Alexa integration - HIT Consultant - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 89% people want automation at workplace: Adobe - Economic Times - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Delta veers to EV parts, automation - Bangkok Post - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Robotic process automation makes nearshore outsourcing more ... - CIO - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- The working-class job that Trump could save from automation - Washington Post - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- China must be ready for automation - Basic Income News - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Bill Gates Says Robots Should Be Taxed Like Workers - Fortune - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Trump and automation challenge India's IT industry - VentureBeat - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Both Trump and Automation Are Challenging India's IT Industry - Fortune - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- 89% people want automation at workplace: Adobe - ETCIO.com - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]