Futuristic outlook to jobs: will we be replaced by machines?

Last week in GBS Dubai Campus, I was invited to speak at the educational conference and share my vision on new trending careers and employable skills.

These days speed of changes and transformations is so high that Moor’s famous law about the number of transistors on a microchip doubling every 2 years (exponential rate) is outdated. Today, we talk about a doubly exponential rate thanks to quantum processors, as Hartmut Neven, the director of Google’s Quantum AI Lab, had stated. Moreover, we are witnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution and coming across many new definitions: IoT, IoE, VR, AR, blockchain, AI, web3, robotics, 3D printing, quantum computing and so on and on and on. No wonder a young generation may be confused, and older generations cannot follow all the changes and have a general fear that machines will replace humans and take our jobs.

But is it a valid point these days?

Let’s dive into history. The First Industrial Revolution started in England with the steam engine and other innovations that produced goods in large quantities due to machine manufacturing. Then, for the first time in history, manual labour was replaced by machines, and factories and manufacturers were built in the UK, USA, and Europe. Could you imagine the horror of those labourers losing their jobs?

The Second Industrial Revolution began in the 19th century by discovering electricity and assembly line production. Inventions of the telegraph, steel production and the development of railroads network were accelerating change and creating new wealth, especially in the USA (Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Carnegies, Astors etc.). It lasted till 1914.

The Third Industrial Revolution began in the 1960+. Decision-making tools, robotics, electronics, technology, internet are symbols of the third industrial revolution.

And today, we are facing new developments where there is a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.

The McKinsey Global Institute has predicted that 375mn workers will be forced to differentiate occupationally by 2030 because of the rise of automated solutions. In addition, 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types (The Future of Jobs – Reports – World Economic Forum). Moreover, the world around us is evolving fast; the population is growing to reach 8 bln next week, with ¾ newborns to be born in Asia and Africa.

•      2.5 billion in 1950

•      8 billion on November 15, 2022

•      8.5 billion in 2030

•       9.7 billion in 2050

•      10.4 billion in the 2080s

 (The UN Population Division)

 Shall we be scared that the new generation won’t have enough jobs? In my opinion, no, there is no room for fear.

Humanity has passed 3 industrial revolutions with significant changes and shifts in jobs, skills, and labour; we survived, prevailed, and adjusted. As Darwin said: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the most adaptable to change.” 

I consider 2 main challenges of the future: healthcare and food security. We live longer and wish to live better; on the other hand, we face climate-related issues, scarcity of resources, energy crises, and more chronic diseases due to longer lives. But each challenge brings us new development, new opportunities, a different perspective, and new skills and jobs.

The Fourth IR should be about empowering people, not the rising of machines. Humans cannot be replaced by machines in the sectors where a high level of human interaction is needed, where creativity and strategic interpretation, critical decision making and subject matter expertise are required (lawyers, judges, artists, educators, nurses, doctors, social workers, project managers etc.). The world will always need human brilliance, human ingenuity, and human skills (Bred Kewell at WEF).

Jobs related to technologies also require humans; even machine learning is based on patterns; if there are no patterns, there is no machine learning, but humans. I suggested the following new jobs just in one agricultural sector:

•      Sophisticated technologies include robots, temperature and moisture sensors, aerial images, blockchain, and GPS technology.

•      Cyber security specialists 

•      AI to analyze big data (Accenture, 2017- 150bln USD to safe annually only in the USA) Deep learning expert: the algorithm trainers and analysts

•      3D food printing expert

•      Drone production, design, management

•      Genetic editing/breeder

•      Regenerating farming creates five million new full-time jobs in farming, processing and supportive industries

•      Agricultural marketing jobs

•      Vegan farming jobs

•       food scientist

•      Biochemistry specialist

•      climate specialists

•      hydroponic specialist

•      Agricultural engineers design machines and equipment to be used on farms.

•      A good chef and winemaker

The requirements of today demand to be ahead of the curve, be curious, adaptable, and able to learn and relearn; one cannot deny progress; it is inevitable.

‘Be so good that they cannot ignore you – my favourite quote from the famous comedian Steve Martin.