Over the last few months, development news is filled with AI. There are reports about how humanization is moving away and how intelligence is getting automated for better performance. There is a deep sense of return of VUCA world. Only difference was that earlier it came because of some man-made crisis. Now, the maker is same but the doer is different. It’s the machine. Be ready, Bots are here!

Let’s look at four significant articles to understand what is actually happening around us. 

Bots are here and signs are eminent

Recent article by Abhijit Bhaduri explains about how jobs could go kaput but not overnight. Abhijit puts across a very valid point that jobs will be created, nurtured and destroyed by technology. Technology will be Brahma – Vishnu – Shiva of jobs, he argues.  Bots are here. For more details, pls check here

Bots are here and a good portion of your job is up for automation

A Nov 2015 study states that at least 30% of activities done by 60% of jobs can be automated. Study mentions that 49% of paid activities which are done now in global economy, can be automated. China and India could see the largest impact of automation, the study says.  

Authors of the study also argue that it is difficult to automate portions of jobs, which require creativity and sensing emotions. Only 4% of work activity across US Jobs economy requires creativity. Bots are here. For more details, pls check here.

Bots are here and it will come sooner that expected

A recent report by ADP suggests that only a small percent of companies are putting in their money on AI.  “It is difficult to say which industry will get AI first but AI will come to all industries at once and it will come soon”, says an Executive as part of this report. Bots are here. For more details pls check here.

Bots are here and new skills are required

A recent report from Manpower group indicates 65% of jobs that Gen Z would be performing don’t even exist, yet. Interestingly, the report points out that creativity, emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility are the skills, which will help humans to augment robots, than replace.  Bots are here. For more details, click here. 

Let’s quickly re-cap what the world is anticipating through these articles.

1. It will come all at once. When is still a question but it is certain
2. Skill cycles will be shorter and we need to run (not away but ahead)
3. Application of creativity in our jobs are very less
4. Most of us are sitting on a ticker 
5. More than 50% of our very own jobs can be automated
6. India is in the middle of this heat map of embracing automation

With these well-articulated snippets from research and our quick re-cap, I guess we have some idea. Drop that coffee mug of yours now and let’s look at some signals. Though some of them are weak and just noise, I believe, most of them have the potential to become a good long-term signal for change.

Signals: Weak or strong

More and more employers in India feel that head count will go down and automation will increase productivity. Well, I say this could be a strong signal. Any employer would love to improve productivity at a reduced cost, isn’t it? Our employers may not embrace all at once but I am sure they will try. And we have time to buckle up. It’s never too late, isn’t it?

Some jobs will get automated and most part of other jobs has the potential to be automated.  I believe this is also a strong signal. Many in manufacturing, logistics and medical field started moving closer to “enabling automation”. In other words, efficiency of skilled workers is getting further enhanced through this automation.  This is good news. We can now put our real potential to use.

When efficiency increases, a lot of operational work gets automated and the direct result is reduction in flab. The flab which otherwise seen today as a must have will soon become flab. We don’t have to go far. Let’s just look at number of people who are employed in national carrier vis-à-vis private airlines. 

Some of our jobs will become better since we need to understand how to manage bots, technology and people at work. This, I believe is a week signal which will fade away. 

Our world will be different and yes, we can do it

Bots & technology do not need monitors and will not demand salary hike, will never spend time at water coolers, will not demand 8 hours of work and we don’t have to worry about bell curve. Most importantly, our attrition rate for bots and technology would remain zero. Maybe, we will be measuring expiry dates instead of attrition rates. Not too sure. 

One thing is certain. We can adapt. It’s not all gloomy and we have seen earlier waves of industrialization and globalization. We survived by being creative and staying on top of new developments. Let’s do the same here.

Bots are here and we can adapt

1. Our love for being too busy and sometimes showing too busy should go out of the window. Let’s get ‘really’ busy and do our job in ‘right’ ways.
2. We can be creative but we are refusing to take that path. Let’s be creative. Much like the theory of improving your performance by 1% everyday leads to exponential performance, we should also apply the same theory on being creative
3. From one size fits all, we should look at moving in the direction of tailor made sizes for each. This calls for thinking and innovation and we are good.
4. We are in for an efficiency driven world and soon the days of effectiveness will be over. Let’s relook at our time wasters, start being more productive and ensure limited leakages.
5. Lets start taking more pride in actual work. There are a lot to be done.
6. Let’s help our organizations adapt to technology & bots and not oppose them. Be the change

Let’s go out, take a critical look at our own job and enable automation. Once we know the aspects in our job, which could be automated, let’s go ahead and start thinking creatively. We can do it and we will! 

Let’s embrace technology & bots. Together, we can make a meaningful contribution provided we believe.

Final words

You feel like not wanting to do this? I am fine but don’t ever think about going back to farm and doing agriculture. It’s been few years since agriculture industry is seeing a huge shift with bots. Bots are here.