More
often than not, change is forced upon us whether embraced or not. Artificial
Intelligence (AI) constitutes one form. Technological advancements come charging at us like hooligans swinging double-edged
swords in the darkness.
Some see AI as a curse, while others marvel at the
possibilities. Much depends on how we perceive change. Those being
replaced by technology won’t view their
reality the same as a company saving a load of dough.
If you owned a business
that could operate the business 24/7 with fewer
trucks, no drivers, automated warehouses and packaging, you would embrace new
technology. Your cost savings and human errors would plummet while profit
margins sore.
Relax a moment
while I pick up my crystal ball. AI is a reality, as it already exists, and a
lot more is headed our way. Some occupations will be left behind like discarded
relics, while others will cope and adjust. Either way, we will be forced to go along for the journey.
Historians tell
us that when the automobile first arrived, many protested, and a popular slogan
from that era was, “Get a horse!” The day after farmer
Jones bought the first tractor to plow his fields or trucked his produce to
market, the popular catchphrase faded into folklore.
As more AI
applications become a daily reality, the ancient methods of doing
labor-intensive tasks will give way to innovative apps. What is currently in
vogue will likewise fade into antiquity. How we socially, economically and
politically adapt to that transition will determine or seal our collective fate.
If like Rip Van
Winkle, you were to have fallen into a deep sleep for 50 years only to awaken
in 2016, you would probably suffer a nervous
meltdown (politics aside). Your
entire world would be upended. You could no longer fix your own vehicle because you wouldn’t understand the electronics
or physics involved. Operating a computer and cell phone would likewise
represent a psychological challenge.
Those who have
not kept pace with technology fall somewhat into that realm. I’ve encountered jobseekers who have adamantly resisted change,
only to be jarred awake as they enter today’s job
market reality. It’s as if they had been in a prolonged sleep. Their favorite slogan is, “I’m old school,” a popular cop out for I
have no idea what the hell is going on.
School’s out, and it’s time to awaken to
reality. If you haven’t acquired the necessary survival skills, you’re in for
one hell of a buggy ride. Just keeping
pace with changing technology is damn near a full-time
endeavor.
The saving grace
for those living in the past is our sacred political system, which is slow
moving and long outdated. Except for a
few branches of government (space and
military), it pretty much functions and operates the way it did 50 years
ago. True, the government has switched to computers and automated technology,
but few jobs have been lost in the transition
and promised tax-dollar savings have not materialized.
Maintaining bloated government
is probably necessary for the immediate future
unless we want to throw a few extra million souls on unemployment and welfare. Admittedly, there are those who are perfectly
content doing nothing. However, for everyone else,
we often define ourselves by our
work. It provides the substance for whom we are and gives purpose to our raison d’être.
Here’s another
dose of reality: If we as a nation fail to modernize—as in damn the torpedoes,
full speed ahead—we risk sinking into an economic
quagmire of our own making. Other nations are willing to make the investment. Japan, China, and India understand this, as well as several European
countries. (India’s problem is that it
does not have sufficient institutions of higher learning to accommodate their needs
and aspirations.)
Since 2010, our
nation has been sitting in dry-dock for political gain. Congress has refused to acknowledge reality. In large
measure, their refusal to do anything of substance appears to be rooted in mythology
and racial prejudice. Congress needs to get over itself and rethink its
priorities if the nation plans to globally compete.
The tipping point
is approaching when we will have to decide whether to cut bait and sail with
the tide, or risk slowly sinking while our ship of state continues to take on
congressional bilge water. Politically, it’s a tough call. Those who will lose
their employment to AI will scream bloody murder and vote according to selfish interests.
While AI will eliminate
jobs, it simultaneously opens new paths to explore. Many millennials and
progressive thinkers are receptive to AI challenges, but the vast majority mess
in their draws and wet their beds hoping to stem
the tide. If there is any hope in sailing toward calmer seas, we need to chart
the new course today.
Copyrighted © 2016 by Robert James