In an AI-powered world, what are potential jobs of the future? — from readwrite.com
Excerpt:
With virtual assistants answering our emails and robots replacing humans on manufacturing assembly lines, mass unemployment due to widespread automation seems imminent. But it is easy to forget amid our growing unease that these systems are not “all-knowing” and fully competent.
As many of us have observed in our interactions with artificial intelligence, these systems perform repetitive, narrowly defined tasks very well but are quickly stymied when asked to go off script — often to great comical effect. As technological advances eliminate historic roles, previously unimaginable jobs will arise in the new economic reality. We combine these two ideas to map out potential new jobs that may arise in the highly automated economy of 2030.
Despite many claims to the contrary, designing a fully autonomous system is incredibly complex and remains far out of reach. For now, training a human is still much cheaper than developing robot replacement.
From DSC:
Moving forward, perhaps one of the key values/deliverables that higher education will bring to the table will be helping people decide which of the jobs out there are “safe for now and/or into the next decade” and which jobs students should steer clear of (as such positions are already disappearing or will soon be disappearing — to be replaced by robotics, algorithms, AI, and such).*
Along these lines, Tom Vander Ark’s recent posting (below) is akin to what I’m talking about:
Staying Ahead of the Robots: What Grads Should Know and Be Able To Do
Check out this excerpt from Tom’s article:
A recent Pew report on the future of jobs concluded:
Machines are eating humans’ job talents. And it’s not just about jobs that are repetitive and low-skill. Automation, robotics, algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) in recent times have shown they can do equal or sometimes even better work than humans who are dermatologists, insurance claims adjusters, lawyers, seismic testers in oil fields, sports journalists and financial reporters, crew members on guided-missile destroyers, hiring managers, psychological testers, retail salespeople, and border patrol agents. Moreover, there is growing anxiety that technology developments on the near horizon will crush the jobs of the millions who drive cars and trucks, analyze medical tests and data, perform middle management chores, dispense medicine, trade stocks and evaluate markets, fight on battlefields, perform government functions, and even replace those who program software – that is, the creators of algorithms.
Now if only we could get our accrediting methods/agencies up to speed (i.e., to become far more responsive), this could be a very valuable service to provide for prospective students in the future.
*Addendum added on 8/24/17 — a relevant quote from Cathy Engelbert, Deloitte’s CEO, on 8/22/17
We ultimately need to help today’s workers—drivers, factory workers, and beyond—discover where demand for skills will be in five to 10 years and help them gain the necessary expertise and experience to do them well. Historically, wholesale job retraining has been challenging to scale, but the inexorable nature of this transition demands that we try to help them be productive in an even more digitized world economy. We already have a skills gap; we need to figure out how to digitize and skill those workers to match them with the demand for available jobs. There is a collective dialogue that should be engaged now so we can create meaningful, fulfilling, and productive opportunities for all.