EXCURSION •
© shannon @ approachcreative . co . za
Amy Fane Hervey – technology strategist , FutureCrunch – was on stage next , and took the audience through the importance of our strong human ability to develop an Adaptability Quotient ( AQ ).
“ I believe the intersection of technology and human behaviour is the number one thing that is going to most significantly shift and shape this next era ,” said Fane Hervey . Our focus should be on “ how to embrace technology , not to replace human expertise , but to augment it .” She noted that our evolutionary hangovers , together with our cognitive biases have left us ill-equipped to deal with the progress of technology . Moore ' s Law explains the conundrum – that the human brain thinks in a linear fashion , while change in technology is exponential , the result is a “ perception gap ”. The only way to survive in this new era , which offers huge opportunity , will be to adapt and flexibly develop new talents to become future fit , she said .
Within this massive technological disruption lies the opportunity to leverage the incredible combination of human PLUS machine , which will allow us to not only survive , but thrive .
where human beings really shine , it ' s when rules get broken – this is when we see human progress , in extraordinary circumstances .
“ AQ is the ability to work output that has relevance , to unlearn obsolete knowledge , to overcome challenges and to make a conscious effort to change in real time – IQ will get you a seat at the table . EQ keeps you there . But it ' s AQ , that allows you to pivot with a brand-new algorithm – like when AI comes along , which can suddenly do half of your job . And the winners of this next economy are going to be those people whose AQ allows them to pick up something new . And that ' s why Harvard Business Review is calling this ‘ the next competitive advantage ’. AQ does not depend on your experience , your age , or your creativity . It is about is your attitude . It ' s like a physical fitness . It ' s something that can be trained , and you can improve on it . And you can get better at it .”
Within this massive technological disruption lies the opportunity to leverage the incredible combination of human PLUS machine , which will allow us to not only survive , but thrive . Fane Hervey encouraged the audience to leverage the opportunity “ to grow yourself , your business and perhaps even to love science and the magic of change . Remembering that change is not an event – change is a process .”
Supplied Amy Fane Hervey
Moore ' s Law explains the conundrum – that the human brain thinks in a linear fashion , while change in technology is exponential , the result is a “ perception gap ”.
Fane Hervey explained that this flexibility and the skill humans have “ to deal with the unexpected ”, has become one of the most crucial skills and talents today . The good news is that we humans have the most extraordinary ability to adapt – adaptability is intrinsic , we are wired for it biologically , it is innately within us . Evolutionary intelligence is greater than artificial intelligence ( AI ) and it is called Moravec ’ s Paradox – the observation that machines and humans have opposite strengths and weaknesses – reasoning is easy for machines , but difficult for humans , while sensory and motor skills are easy for humans , but difficult for machines . “ We tend to believe that logic and reasoning is the thing that makes us special as humans , however now , this is easy for computers where machine learning and AI is all about classifying things , finding hidden patterns , and optimising absolutely everything . If you want to know
‘ Human PLUS machine ’ superpowers The Boston Dynamics ® Spot ® Enterprise robot 7 is a great example of the human PLUS machine phenomenon , increasing efficiencies and making the environment safer for humans 8 . Van Schoor discussed the using of autonomous machines to enable ‘ human superpowers ’ – making the previously impossible , possible when he interviewed engineer , roboticist and scientist turned entrepreneur , CEO and cofounder of Emesent , Stefan Hrabar .
Emesent has been developing LIDAR solutions for years to create autonomous systems that help to advance human capabilities to allow miners to explore , making the inaccessible , accessible . For example , robots could be used in the two hours of downtime after a blast to go where humans cannot to collect data . This is where robots like Spot – with additional payloads such as infrared and stereoscopic cameras , gas monitoring , acoustic sensors and autonomous capabilities , such as the SLAM LiDAR scanning from Emesent ’ s Hovermap for 3D point cloud capture and autonomous navigation – can assist without putting a human into potentially dangerous situations . Spot , like the natural canine , can also ‘ see and hear ’ things humans can ’ t with specialised partner payloads like the Fluke SV600 Acoustic Imager .
The conversation highlighted that although there is a focus on high tech , there are some low-tech skills that still fall short of the
www . africanmining . co . za African Mining Publication African Mining African Mining • July 2023 • 21