Your Job is Being Automated As We Speak
A good question to ask in the era of automation is no longer "if" but "when" and "what aspects" of our jobs will be replaced by machines. People have enjoyed the relative comfort of only having to compare their skills with other people for long enough. Now as we enter 2023, we are seeing processes in companies large and small be replaced with software which know no working hours, need no motivation and make no mistakes (unless programmed wrong). How do we compete? I'm going to explain to you in 7-minutes-or-less what you need to know before it is filling every paper and covering every news channel.
But what is automation, exactly?
A lot of people struggle to really grasp what automation is. While it's often associated with the automotive industry, automation in this context refers to the use of software to automate technical or tedious tasks in the workplace. For example, E-discovery lawyers and research robots are taking over the roles of paralegals and other staff at law firms. These bots are able to free up human workers to focus on more complex tasks requiring more nuanced judgement. Another recent example is the production of written content which uses software such as DALe-2 and ChatGPT (Break of the third wall) to produce articles, blogs and now even more sophisticated pieces such as academic articles and books.
Is this a short-term threat to my job?
First let's establish if this is a real concern, or something you can forget about after reading this. The best way of doing this is to look at some examples of industries currently being targeted by automation.
Let's have a look at the finance sector where there has been a huge surge in 'fintech' companies as oppose to traditional financial firms in recent years. Computer programs are increasingly being used to replace humans to analyze and identify patterns and trends in data, enabling more efficient investing and identification of financial opportunities or risks. Thanks to the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, we can expect to see software that can analyze market trends in real-time, identify patterns of fraudulent activity, and make informed decisions about buying and selling assets. And that's just the beginning. The possibilities for intelligent automation in finance are endless, and it's clear that this technology will shape the industry for years to come. Not only does it automate routine tasks, freeing up human employees to focus on more valuable activities, but it also has the potential to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and protect customers and institutions alike.
As automation continues to expand into different industries it will become more efficient, lower cost and more capable of jobs which require human judgement. It is difficult to predict exactly which industries will be automated first, as it will depend on a variety of factors such as the availability of technology, the cost of labor, and consumer demand. However, it is likely that industries that stand to benefit the most from automation will be those that adopt it first.
So, how do you compete?
One way to adapt to automation and use it to your benefit in the job market is to focus on developing skills that are complementary to automation, rather than competing with it. This might include skills such as high-level problem-solving, communication of ideas, and creativity, which are difficult for machines to replicate. For example, in the past, the adoption of automated machinery in manufacturing led to a shift in the types of jobs available in the industry. Rather than working on the factory floor operating machines, many workers moved into roles such as maintenance and repair, quality control, and product design, which required a different set of skills. By developing a diverse skill set and being open to new opportunities, workers were able to successfully adapt to the changing job market and find meaningful employment.
So, what can you do if you're worried about automation taking your job? Here are a few practical tips:
- Stay informed: Keep up to date on the latest developments in automation and how they may affect your industry.
- Develop in-demand skills: is imperative so focus on developing skills that are hard to automate, such as high-level problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity.
- Technological literacy - Learn about and work with technology. Even if you're not working in a tech-related field, it's important to have a basic understanding of how technology works and how it's used in your industry. Consider taking online courses or workshops to learn more.
- Look for opportunities to upskill: Keep an eye out for opportunities to learn new skills or enhance your existing ones. This could include taking classes, attending workshops or conferences, or working on side projects.
- Be open to change: Be flexible and open to changing roles or industries as automation changes the job market.
The factoid section: miss this if figures bore you
- Artificial intelligence could create 97 million jobs and generate $15.7 trillion for the economy by 2030 while eliminating mundane tasks and helping workers enjoy more creativity.
- 27% of employees have anxiety over the possibility of new innovations, robots, or artificial intelligence making their jobs obsolete in the next five years.
- 19% of workers agree that AI can help alleviate the drudgery of their jobs, and nine out of ten tech executives agree that AI-powered machines will handle mundane tasks, thereby freeing up workers to enjoy more creativw work.
- At least one-third of activities could be automated in 60% of occupations, although less than 5% could be fully automated.
Source: https://www.zippia.com/advice/ai-job-loss-statistics/
Conclusively
Don't make the mistake of believing this is going to be a slow and gradual change. The thing about automation is that it can typically replace existing processes and systems quite rapidly as it is increasingly being automated on the development side as well with low-code/no-code platforms beginning to take over niches in certain industries. You will likely start to experience changes first hand in the coming few years as automation is becoming increasingly prevalent across a wide range of industries and is growing rapidly.
Displacement is the key word. Displacement not only within the job market but within existing job roles. Opportunities to learn and grow with these changes are expanding and just as technologies like ChatGPT get hammered into the global consciousness, so will be job titles which have never existed such as prompt writers, AI trainer and AI Data Sourcing Engineers. Existing jobs will require up-skilling to utilize the cutting edge AI tools which will allow industries to compete in the new automated business landscape.
Ending on a good note
It is worth going over an idea Peter Thiel lays out in his book 'Zero to 1'. Software can't replace human's, the most advanced computer systems struggle to compete with the mind of a 4 year old in the practice of abstraction (generalising ideas and applying them to new systems). However, a relatively cheap laptop running the same software can beat a chess grandmaster with ease. It should be aparent that computers are "catergorically different" from humans. Ask yourself the inverse question, how likely are human's to replace computer software? Comparing the computational efficiency of computer processor and a human brain in calculating millions of binary operations, the best human mind would grow fatigued in a matter of hours doing what a computer system does in milliseconds. If you noticed the first question in the first sentence of this article asked what aspects of your job will be automated. That is the key. Automating boring aspects of your job would be a relief and the opportunities for people to enjoy their work as well as start new ventures more easily are being created in parallel with this era of automation.
Where can I learn more?
Subscribe to Phluxr, we write about topics concerning the future of work regularly with staff that work in the software automation industry!
Additionally, here are some books and useful articles on the topic for further reading:
- Futureproof
- The Fourth Industrial Revolution
- The Rise of the Robots