One of the most common things people discuss on the subject of automation is long-term job security. It’s only natural that employees may feel uncertain about their future job prospects if they think robots will be replacing them in a few years time.
The thing is, many business leaders are hesitant to invest in automation because of their fears of how it could affect the workforce of the future. No-one can predict with any certainty what a future workforce could look like if automation were more mainstream, and we had robots carrying out tasks traditionally assigned to people.
So, with all that in mind, how can you ensure that your job doesn’t get replaced by what is essentially a machine that uses artificial intelligence? Well, it turns out there are some practical steps and courses of action you can take to help secure your future job prospects.
Be willing to adapt
If history has taught us anything, it’s that we must learn to adapt to ever-changing environments if we want to survive. After all, it is how we, as a society, have evolved from agriculture to industry. It makes sense to adapt to changes in your working environment, even if it means working alongside robots.
The thing about automation is that it’s far from perfect. Machines, like humans, get things wrong. There are times where it takes human emotion and experience to preempt or mitigate the risk of problems in the future.
When it comes to adapting for the future, this may mean learning new skills that complement what we already know. Or it could mean learning skills that don’t require repetitive tasks.
Bolster your education
As humans, we have a thirst for knowledge and are always keen to learn new things. Did you know jobs that require a lot more education are less likely to get taken over by robots? That’s because it’s possible to program robots with the extra variable knowledge needed to take over a more high-profile job.
A robot will not understand how you speak with your therapist because it won’t understand the context the same way as a human. Artificial intelligence hasn’t evolved enough to detect and understand the nuances of real human communication. For example if you said “Billy you suck at baseball” when everyone knows that Billy is the best player on your team and you were being sarcastic.
You’re never too old to go back to school and learn how you can bolster your existing skills in the workplace.
Robots will also bring new job opportunities
Have you ever heard of the saying, “if you can’t beat them, join them”? It’s something that is quite relevant to this topic. When we start bringing robots into the workplace to carry out specific tasks, someone will need to maintain those robots. Also, there will be a need for people to build such machines, carry out quality control checks on them, and even manage their daily operations.
With that in mind, there will be new job opportunities, such as in transcription services. Rather than attempting to plot against machines, it makes more sense to embrace their inclusion in the workplace. As you know artificial intelligence struggles mightily with sarcasm, empathy, slang, and sound-alikes (homophones). Which means humans will continue to be needed to make sure the transcripts are accurate.
Conclusion
While it’s likely that some jobs will get taken over by robots, typically those that carry out repetitive tasks. The good news is that humans can still adapt and evolve with such changes in the workplace and safeguard their future job roles.
Author Bio: Ben Walker is a CEO, entrepreneur, and visionary leader that enjoys helping others become successful in business and in life. Ben’s company Transcription Outsourcing provides user-friendly and cost-effective transcription services for the medical, legal, law enforcement, academic, and financial industries for organizations all over the world. Ben is a sought after thought leader and has made contributions to publications like Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc, Forbes, and the Associated Press.
- How To Ensure Your Job Is Not Replaced By A Robot - January 28, 2020