I have done a few videos in the past on automation but now feel the need to address it again. Currently, it seems like the discussion surrounding automation is all over the place. People are suddenly panicking about their jobs being stolen out from under them by robots. Automation has been around for multiple decades so why the mass hysteria now? Our computers can troubleshoot and self-diagnose their WiFi problems, we use ATMs at the bank and kiosks at the airport to check in for flights, and even ring ourselves up at the grocery store! There has been a lot of focus on software automation for many years and the conversation has now evolved to job loss and replacement.
How did we get to this point? Because automation is evolving drastically. It used to involve basic things you could get done, not overly complex tasks…nothing that could replace a human in the workforce. Now automation is becoming extremely sophisticated. We are seeing a whole new level of robots and artificial intelligence that can even understand speech and facial expressions. This opens up the door for software to do our jobs for us. They can sift through medical records, write our articles, and even teach our children! Automation is so advanced that people are concerned it is coming for our jobs.
Remember, automation and bots are not new. The thing that is new is the level of automation and the tasks that they are capable of. So what do we do to protect our jobs? The greatest thing that you can do is learn how to learn. Don’t just stand there and wait for automation to take away your job. Take courses online, study YouTube videos, and really take on professional development for yourself.
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Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, author, and futurist. You can invite Jacob to keynote your next conference, subscribe to his videos on Youtube, check our his podcast, or subscribe to his newsletter!
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