The Robots Are Coming!
The AI revolution is already happening and as we progress, almost any job that can be automated is likely to be. Are you ready?
Whether we like it or not, unless we’re hit with a massive electromagnetic pulse or other potential apocalyptic scenarios, we’re heading towards a path of increasing automation, reliance on robots and AI that will eventually do most of us out of employment. At the moment there are still new jobs being created in tech but at some point, it seems there will stop being enough new jobs to replace the old ones and we will be the ones becoming as obsolete as a floppy disk or Commodore 64 is to us now.
Some may be able to retrain and find new work but it seems we may be headed either to a future that looks like The Hunger Games or one that looks more like Star Trek. Place your bets as to which. I borrowed the title of this article from a book I read by Andrés Oppenheimer where he discusses how the AI revolution is likely to affect us and what will be the future of work when most of it can be done by machines and algorithms.
The likelihood is that if a job can be replaced, it will be. Sure, there will always be jobs maintaining and monitoring the systems, developing them and so on but what about everyone else? Oppenheimer posits that only those in the field of education and entertainment will likely weather the AI revolution, especially those who sit at the axis of those two, what we may call edutainment.
Who knows whether ideas like Universal Basic Income will take off or not? Who knows if the world’s billionaires will be willing to give up their wealthy status for a more egalitarian society. Judging by what billionaires seem to be spending their fortunes on these days, I don’t have high hopes but I know many are more optimistic than myself.
I was fascinated, like millions of others, by reading Yuval Noah Harari’s book Homo Deus, the powerful sequel to Sapiens which looks to the future of humanity and envisions a species in control of their own evolution, merging more with technology than we already have done and becoming something more, something different to human and how we recognise humanity currently. Whilst this speculation is fascinating and founded in trends and tech developments, none of us truly knows where we’re headed. Let’s hope for the best.
I was having a great chat with my coaching buddy recently about AI replacing coaches. He’s working with one of these new coaching organisations, Better Up Coaching, and we were exploring the possibility that as a tech company they could be gathering up as much coaching information and expertise as possible to be able to collate and create coaching algorithms that could end up being more knowledgeable and effective than the vast majority of coaches!
I don’t know if that’s scary or interesting to you? Maybe both, maybe neither but as someone who has been working in coaching for over 15 years, it is fascinating to me. Now, I am moving further away from traditional coaching and working much more in podcast related coaching and consulting, which I am pretty sure these companies are not offering, at least at the moment. So, I don’t feel too threatened but you might be thinking that people won’t want an AI coach? Are you thinking that? Hmmm…
I like to read science journals. I know, it’s a bit nerdy but I often find that they are where I get to see the latest information of what’s coming, especially in relation to things like neuroscience, learning and even human psychology. AI coaching has been on the cards for some time and has been shown to already be very effective. Whilst some may be distressed by how well algorithms can get to know us and dissect our psyches, I think we have to accept that it’s going to become more common. I don’t know what Better Up’s plan is for the future of coaching but if I were a tech genius and I could encapsulate and leverage the knowledge and skills of 1,000’s of the world’s best coaches, I would probably do it.
Maybe there will always be people who will prefer the human touch but this is something that could really pull the rug from underneath most of the coaching and personal development industry, so it bears thinking about. This may be why now is exactly the best time to be thinking about building a business around you. My friend Chris Ducker calls this being a YouPreneur. (Great branding, huh!)
When you build a business around you, your expertise, your unique takes and approaches, your own products and services, your book, your podcast etc… Guess what? You can’t be replaced. You will bring something unique that AI can’t compete with, which is your personality, your teaching, your humour and a deep personal connection with your audience. This is the axis between education and entertainment that I mentioned earlier and it is the journey I am on too.
I don’t know if you’ve ever read any AI-generated books, scripts or written content before but mostly it ends up being either bad or bizarre, even worse than the syntax in those spammy emails or bot connections we get from time to time. We’re not in too much danger yet of having our individuality, personality and imaginations superseded by technology. I don’t think we need to become Luddites and shun all tech, we can embrace the AI revolution by making sure we are as well-positioned as possible to still have a business and still have customers well into the future.
I think there are plenty of reasons to be positive for the future and let’s face it, if the world ends tomorrow, being sad about it isn’t going to help or change anything. I do personally think people will always want entertainment and always want and need education. We will probably always be interested in interesting conversations and the people who can edutain us well. This is something I strive to do in my own podcasting and am helping others in the YouPreneur style of business to do too.
As interesting conversations go, you can take a listen to one of mine. My own business mentor and friend Chris Ducker agreed to let me interview him for my podcast and other than me fangirling him for the first 5 minutes, it turned into a terrific and dare I say dynamite conversation that I know you are going to get value from and have some takeaways from. Chris and I would love to know what those takeaways are. Please do let us know in the comments and share your thoughts on the future we’re headed towards and the AI revolution.
Next week I am going to be thinking and talking about storytelling, both in my blog and on my show. Please make sure you are subscribed to both. I am now opening up Podfluence Coaching to the public and if you’d like to book a free 15-minute discovery call with me to see how podcasting could benefit you and your business model, please use this link and I will look forward to connecting with you. Podfluence Coaching
What I’ve been reading? The most excellent book Cues by Vanessa Van Edwards talks about verbal and physical cues that do or don’t deliver charisma and gravitas. Vital reading for any aspiring Podfluencer.
What I’ve been watching? Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max. The slightly bizarre but surprisingly funny story of Stede Bonnet, the gentleman pirate, which is loosely based on true accounts of his life with much artistic interpretation undoubtedly added. A brilliant cast, epic work from Taika Waititi both acting and directing, as well as wonderful guest appearances from icons like Kristen Johnston and Leslie Jones. It’s every jolly jack tar’s dream and is currently the subject of a massive fan campaign to save it from cancellation.
What I’ve been listening to? The personal brand entrepreneur show with Bob Gentle. Bob is one of my favourite podcasters and a friend of mine. Some while back I was a guest but I still listen in regularly as Bob has plenty of great guests and interesting conversations. Highly recommended. Bob will be a guest on my show in the near future.
There was really only one song that immediately came to mind for me this week, from a band that was my favourite when I was a university student and all of whom I had the pleasure to meet in my distinguished flying career, and no, I was not on the flight were one of them had air rage, thankfully. I leave you with R.E.M.’s song ‘It’s the end of the world as we know it’ and, I don’t know about you but I really do feel fine. See you next time.
