Don’t you think the next thing companies would want to do would be reducing dependency on humans and automating work?

While all of us are in lockdown and quarantined within our homes, let’s do the obvious; talk about the future.

Coronavirus has deeply impacted the global socio-economic status. The factories are shut, small businesses are crippled, and some SMEs are facing the threat of shutting shop. Don’t you think the next thing companies would want to do would be reducing dependency on humans and automating work? I think so. While all of us are talking about work from home there could be a possibility of no work at all and more than 95% of jobs getting automated.

Think about it, we already are on the AI-driven path. The humble security guard has been replaced by smart gatekeeper software, newspapers are digital, Roomba cleans the house, Alexa controls your smart home and orders your food. So, will the iRobot horror story become a reality? (watch it if you haven’t yet).

The experts say NO. So, what does the future hold? Keep reading for answers

Stay Close to Technology

Do not confuse staying close to technology with being a coder. Humans have EQ, consciousness, and free-will somethings that cannot be replicated by machines. While the machine takes over human jobs, humans will have to become better at being humans. So, what would the future of work be like?

Game on! - Today employee disengagement is a worldwide problem because most of the employees are made to do mundane tasks that have no value. Gamification could be the answer to this problem. Have you heard of a video game called Destiny? It is a multiplayer game where players take on roles, form a team and complete a common mission. The thing to note here is that these players do not know each other and are still able to successfully collaborate. Something, office teams are unable to do. The think tanks of today believe that the future is of virtual participation, blended reality, and digital twinning. The human brain adapts better when it is taught through games. An ideal scenario of gamification of work will be embedding a system of earning points, leveling up and quantifying skills in the work style. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be heavily leveraged for gamification. So, why not sign-up for quality Gamification courses today? Here are some recommendations:
● Gamification course on Coursera
●Leading Change: Go Beyond Gamification with Gameful Learning
● The Business of Gamification Explained

The Human-Machine Interface - Current work culture is plagued with egotistical behavior, layers of hierarchy and ineffective teams. It propagates the desire to become superior. How does this change in the future? Diverse teams that can collaborate effectively and efficiently will be the key to the future. Companies will hire for short term projects like casting for a movie. Now, here is the twist. We are talking about the future, and the shift cannot be as simple as hiring teams for a specific project. Experts claim that 10 years from now, 15 to 20 percent of team members will be bots. A diverse team, in this case, means a team of humans and robots. This will redefine collaboration and in turn hiring. Companies will need people who are not only experts in specific areas and can also collaborate with robots. Let’s understand robots and dealing with them:
● Communicating with Robots and Bots
● Introduction to Inclusive Talent Acquisition
● The Robotic Future: Where Bots Operate Together and Learn From Each Other

The network of Future - Online networking has deeply impacted our lives. For instance, the number of LinkedIn connections or Facebook followers is a statement of how influential a person is. Social media has caused ripples in human networking. It is leading towards a future where people will be scored by their social media posts, activities, comments and popularity. Very much like the Nosedive episode of Black Mirror but maybe not that scary. Won’t it be awesome if A.I can help you in networking by telling you what to do? Imagine an app suggestion-not talking to your manager about promotion today because he is not in a good mood. It is like LinkedIn suggestions to connect but a more advanced version where the AI tracks and tells the best time to network with people. Here are some articles on how AI is influencing social media:
● How Google Discovered the Value of Surveillance
● The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Social Media
● There’s something strange about TikTok recommendations The content of the article is based on this podcast.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house