🤖 Here Is The Work AI Will Replace Soon

Apologies, I refuse to tell this in a straight line.

Henry Ford II walks Walter Reuther, leader of the Automobile Workers Union, around the newest production plant. Machines are assembling cars, and Ford cannot help but smile.

“Walter, how will you get these robots to pay your union dues?”

Walter replies, “How will you get these machines to buy Ford cars?”

The tale of automation remains present in our minds and is a constant weight on society's shoulders. So it’s realistic to wonder what machines will replace what jobs next.

Technology’s incremental, compounding progress in the labor market has worried philosophers, politicians, workers, and futurists for over 200 years. Every decade and every step up the ladder, we prove that the labor market is resilient and hard to disrupt.

What makes this time any different?

Simple, we’re rushing into the New Machine Age. Artificial intelligence and machine learning advances will displace industry work on a scale we’ve never seen. These changes threaten the core threads of the labor market in ways we’ve never stress-tested before.

To quote a guy a lot smarter than me, “Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.” That comes from Voltaire.

With that context in mind, it would be a great idea to go through the five jobs I consider the most at risk of being replaced by AI in the near future. Along the way, I will provide historical context to highlight how automation in the labor market changed the United States over the years.

One last thing before we jump into it: During the early years of the Industrial Revolution, 50% of businesses created failed. Despite all the advanced machinery, the inability of entrepreneurs to adapt to the concept effectively caused massive failures.

You will see AI companies drop the ball. You will feel vindicated when a robot cannot do a particular job at a given time. But, remember, while they’re failing, someone is not.

In the words of Han Solo, “Don’t get cocky, kid.” Failure is a pit stop on the way to success.

I hate driving. Getting from point A to point B in a machine going 65 miles per hour is not my idea of a good time.

However, many people love to drive or can tolerate it enough to make a living. This list includes truck, delivery, and cab drivers, amongst others. Computers will replace these jobs soon enough.

My mind stretches and twists over the thought of unattended driver seats littering the interstate. Can the world step back and let the wheel steer itself? The answer is no. 

All these vehicles will drive themselves, but someone needs to be present in case things go haywire, at least in the beginning stages.

A runaway 18-wheeler barreling towards an exit ramp makes my hand sweat just picturing it. Now imagine there’s no one there to attempt and minimize the damage. See, I think everyone is okay with the idea of someone by the wheel to ensure there’s a human touch. 

That measure won’t last forever. 

As AI learns more and more and computer vision advances past what we can imagine, the need for a driver will disappear. Let’s face it; a driver is an expense. So these companies will pay “driving monitors” less and force them to work more hours.

AI does not sleep. It does not unionize or demand healthcare benefits. The opportunity to cut costs is far too tempting here, and we’d be foolish not to take it.

The only option for these now unemployed workers is to skill up. Focus on the new opportunities created by innovation and find the new need.

Lidar and all tech in this space are compounding in development. Right now, the 1% benefit exclusively from using a personal driver, but that will change, too.

Imagine what we can all do with that free time we save in our commute.

Embrace the change and trust that it will create new possibilities.

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