AI IN THE WORKPLACE
AI IN THE WORKPLACE
A LOOK AHEAD
Dr . Peter H . Diamonadis
Dr . Peter H . Diamandis is an international pioneer in the fields of innovation , incentive competitions and commercial space . In 2014 he was named one of “ The World ’ s 50 Greatest Leaders ” – by Fortune Magazine . In the field of Innovation , Diamandis is Founder and Executive Chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation , best known for its $ 10 million Ansari XPRIZE for private spaceflight .
THERE ’ S LITTLE question in my mind that advances in artificial intelligence and robotics will significantly displace humans in the workplace .
We ’ re not talking about every job , but most of today ’ s jobs ( as currently configured ) will eventually be performed by AI and robots or in partnership with AI and robots .
In the beginning , the jobs displaced by technology will be those that are dull , dangerous or dirty ; eventually , it will include jobs like surgeons , anesthesiologists or diagnosticians . What jobs will we lose first ? Three that come to mind : Truck drivers , retail , and supermarket workers and cashiers . In this article , I ’ ll write about the future of cashiers ... When I ’ m shopping at Whole Foods or CVS , my goal is to get in and out of the store as soon as possible : find what I need , pay for it and leave .
As such , I imagine a near-term future in which an AI agent will guide me rapidly to the exact aisle and shelf to help me find the product . Then , as I leave the store , the system will charge me automatically – no need to stop , stand in line and pull out my wallet .
Taking it one step further , imagine a future where I never go to the store in the first place . My refrigerator can sense that I ’ m low on milk or eggs , order it all from the store , and have those products delivered by autonomous vehicle or drone . In this near-term scenario , all I do is take the products off my front doorstep and stock them in my refrigerator . High-level autonomy is already underway ... Over the last few months , up in Seattle , Amazon has established a store called Amazon Go , which is a cashierless retail store for Amazon employees only . The reason it ’ s only for Amazon employees is that they ’ re doing tests to see how it works .
Currently , Amazon employees access an app , enter the store , and then simply take what they want off the shelf . That ’ s it . A system of cameras and sensors can observe what you ’ re taking and how many , and Amazon charges the correct amount to your account . All you do is walk out -- no checkout and no cashiers . The tech isn ’ t perfect yet , which is why Amazon is doing this as a test , but it will get better and it will ultimately become how stores transact purchases . Will some retail stores only employ humans ? Skip the automation ?
It ’ s possible , but I doubt it . Imagine comparing two stores : one that embraces the technology and another that does not .
The store that ’ s fully autonomous enables you to walk in , get your products , and leave twice as fast - and , by the way , those products are cheaper because the business doesn ’ t have overhead due to employees .
How will the autonomous store compare to a retail competitor that offers slower and more expensive services ?
You got it - the store that employs humans and has a slower , more expensive customer experience will go out of business , and those jobs will ultimately disappear . For those who are cashiers ... when will this happen ? I would imagine it ’ s probably not in the next couple years , but likely within five years , and definitely within the next decade . Knowing that , how do you prepare yourself ? Here ’ s my question : what did you want to do when you were younger ? Did you always want to be a cashier , or did you want to be a nurse , teacher or to travel the world ?
Ultimately , going back to your early passions and taking on the education needed to achieve your earlier goal ( s ) is what ’ s needed . Take caution , though , as those jobs may also get displaced by AI and robots .
We ’ re heading into a period where technological employment will cause us to struggle -- with how we find meaning in our lives , with how we earn our living .
Incredibly important experiments are going on today with Universal Basic Income ( UBI ), a methodology in which everyone is paid a salary , whether they work or not .
UBI will help ensure we have food on the table , insurance , medical care , and so on , but it ’ s not going to solve the issue of giving meaning to our life .
This is something we need to think about and solve - not in 20 years or 10 years , but in the next five years .
This is one of the important conversations taking place at my Abundance 360 mastermind and at Singularity University .
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