Insightful piece. In my view, automation is inevitable and humans must focus on what sets us apart ie ingenuity, creativity, ability to deal with ambiguity etc. This has huge impact on education, going forward – computers are beating us on ‘just in case' learning!
The beneficiaries are the world’s consumers, who buy goods and services more cheaply, and the managers and professionals whose jobs have so far been secure. Entrepreneurs and the “one per cent” have gained most from the rise of the highly unequal labour market. Now, the chill wind of automation may blow on the peaks. Some tasks previously carried out by professionals – such as scanning documents for relevant information – have been turned over to software programs. Pessimists argue that services such as consultancy, accounting and the law, in which professionals analyse information, are broadly vulnerable to automation. Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google – a company that is working on emerging technologies such as self-driving cars and robots – is worried. “The race is between computers and people and the people need to win … In this fight, it is very important that we find the things that humans are really good at,” he said.
