What does the future hold? It’s a question that’s been asked for eons by rulers, philosophers, and farmers alike.
We look to seers and oracles to guide us. “They have the answers!” we say.
So, we put our trust in the futurists to tell us what will be.
The futurists and consultants use their magical tarot cards to prognosticate. They package their messages and warnings into acceptable tales.
But, how true are they? Do they really know what’s going to happen? That’s debatable.
We listen anyway. We download the latest 200 plus page reports from reputable consultants and NGOs. We take them as gospel. Should we?
World Economic Forum “Predicts” The Future of Work…
In January, The World Economic Forum released it’s latest fiction of the future.
Newsflash, AI is going to be big! You probably didn’t need a report to tell you that, right?
It’s a “good” report that you will likely never read. When they release it again in two years, you won’t read it then either.
It’s packed with predictions. It’s packed with stats. Plenty of LinkedIn leaders have already summarized it for you.
It tells you things like…
170 million new jobs will be created while 92 million will go away for a net increase of 7%.
Geo-economic fragmentation / tension will likely require more than 1/3 or companies to upend their business models.
AI and Big Data aren’t the only growth sectors. Farming, construction, sales, nursing, and counseling will grow too.
There will be less cashiers, secretaries, and data entry clerks.
Hard skills like tech literacy and the use of AI are critical.
Soft skills like analytics, creativity, resilience, and agility are paramount to success.
60% of the workforce will need some level of re-skilling and up-skilling by 2030.
1 in 6 people will not receive the up-skilling they need
Aging populations in developed economies will require us to think about using Generative AI as an enabler
And….much more!!!
A Discussion Instead of A Summary
Instead of summarizing the executive summary for you, I decided to discuss it with experts, with real humans boldly tackling the future of work in their jobs today. They aren’t planning. They are doing.
We aren’t professional prognosticators but like to pontificate on what could and will be.
Using the Future of Jobs report as a guide, I hosted a few great thinkers and pros working at the forefront of AI to discuss the topic. They include…
- , a former P&G executive, host of The Workaround, and an experienced entrepreneur with a few exits under his belt.
- , CEO of KR Digital Agency, host of AI Simplified, and Co-Founder of Cincy AI for Humans
Josette Riep, Assistant Vice President of Information Technology at University of Cincinnati and thought leader with Cincy AI Catalyst
We didn’t just regurgitate the report. We shared our candid insights on what resonated and what didn’t. We discuss what we’re doing with the information. We recommend what you should do.
We Discuss Themes Like…
The importance of passion and curiosity
The role of ethical leadership
The critical need for up-skilling across ALL age groups
The balance between leveraging AI for efficiency and maintaining human values
The potential biases in AI technology
Plus, We Each Share Real Stories…
You’ll hear Josette advise people to figure out what their passion is first…
“We talk about AI like it's just something totally amorphous instead of thinking about it as a tool that allows us to get to our means in a different way. Part of it is getting out of the hype cycle with AI and understanding that it is a tool and it's an environment that we can use for whatever our passions are. My first piece of advice for folks is always to figure out what your passion is.”
Or, Bob remind us of the importance of hitching our career wagons to pro-human leaders…
“There are leaders that love the idea of how do I get rid of more FTEs and bring it to AI? There are others that are more human, servant leaders who are worried about their people and have a duty and a loyalty to the individuals that power their company.
Those are the folks that are gonna take a path that's more of, “How can we use this to augment?” And I think, again, that idea of giving people time, giving people space, giving them the coaching, decreasing the fear that comes naturally in all these situations.
Who are you gonna hitch your wagon to?”
And Kendra remind us that we aren’t behind. We’re in this together…
“Being able to slow down, understanding how it applies to you personally and professionally. Playing with AI to see, like brainstorming some ideas and thoughts, brainstorming career paths. You can do that in AI as well. There's a ton of free resources to learn AI.
Microsoft has AI programs for free. Google has AI programs for free. There's just a wealth of knowledge, but I think it's one of those things of creating time and space to do that. Do not wait for your leadership to come to you and say, "Hey, now let's learn AI." Take that initiative.”
I add a few witty missives, too. But, I’m not the star, they are!
Hear More of Our Prognostications
Listen to the full episode. Bob, Kendra, and Josette rock! I help guide the discussion and not take us down too many tangents. In the end, it’s just four cool people talking careers and what the future holds.
Enjoy the episode! Thanks for you support!
Paul G. Fisher
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