Don’t look now, but the future is here, and with it come the jobs of the future. In fact, more of the future is already behind us – in terms of jobs – than we realize.
2015: AI Jobs of the Future
In 2015, I wrote, “By 2025, one in four jobs in the American workforce will be jobs that do not exist today.” I also said, “We’re overestimating what AI will be able to do three years from now but underestimating what it will be able to do in 10.” Many of my readers and audience members dismissed or avoided those comments, for two reasons, I found: (1) lack of imagination, and (2) fear.
2008: Jobs of the Future (No AI yet)
Going further back, the first time I published an essay entitled “Jobs of the Future” – but no AI yet – was in October 2008, nine months into the Great Recession. (Remember that “once in a lifetime” event – that we ultimately had two of?) Later that month I was scheduled to do a” Jobs of the Future” presentation to a professional networking group, but the host called me and asked me to present something else. “The furthest into the future anyone in the audience wants to see is to their next unemployment check,” he said. “They’re losing their jobs and their homes. All they want is a job in the present.”
Look at us now. We’re still riding the greatest job market growth in history, but it’s no longer where the jobs are created (or lost) that counts, but how they are changed.
AI Jobs are transformational
AI is already transforming the job landscape by automating certain many tasks, supporting more than that, and creating countless new opportunities. Just as we have millions of jobs we couldn’t imagine a decade ago, as AI continues its evolution, new job titles will be born. We’ve learned to expect the unexpected – and fortunately, we have two generations – Gen Y and Gen Z – who have proven they’re good at that. They’ll handle this very well, thank you.
The Great American AI Jobs Revolution
With a high degree of confidence, here is a sampling of job titles – mostly tactical in nature – that could be created or significantly transformed by AI. Some already are.
AI Ethicist.
Clearly the biggest challenge presented by the biggest transformation in history, we must address head on the issues of bias, transparency, and fairness.
AI Data Privacy Manager.
If we didn’t learn from the Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2016, we better get a move on. Ensuring privacy, security, and transparency is not just central, it’s existential.
AI Urban Planner.
I place this very high on the priority list. Despite all the talk of people fleeing the cities, the truth is that we are increasingly growing our urban centers by inward flow of professional talent and outward sprawl of what we now call urban. Not to mention, our aging cities were built with no concern for sustainability while our renewal must be all about that: a huge paradigm shift. Using AI simulations and predictive modeling is key.
AI Climate Change Analyst.
Glaring evidence of the importance of this job mounts daily: Maui, Southern California, the polar caps, warmer water in the North Atlantic, etc. Meteoric growth in this critical occupation is already happening, especially in the EU, applying AI models to analyze climate data, predict environmental trends, and develop strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change.
AI Trainer/Teacher.
Somebody’s got to design, create, and deliver datasets to train AI models and develop curricula to educate people on AI concepts and technologies.
AI Cybersecurity Analyst.
This is a case of building a corral before the horses get out, rather than scurrying around after they do. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
AI Augmentation Specialist.
One manifestation of a hybrid workplace will be humans work with AI – as coworkers. Facilitating this integration will be tricky.
AI Healthcare Diagnostics Analyst.
This has a huge upside, keeping pace with spectacular advances in the technologies that diagnose and treat.
AI Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Manager.
Overseeing, implementing, and managing RPA will span business operations, ecologic management, space and ocean exploration, wildlife protection, crime, and more.
AI Customer Experience Specialist.
Personalizing customer experiences by analyzing data and predicting customer needs will augment the already active field of UX.
AI Supply Chain Analyst.
Usually, technology advances start as strategic advantages and then morph into being operational advantages. In supply chain, it could go both ways – at once.
AI Linguist/NLP Specialist.
Developing and refining language models for improved communication between humans and machines should be a job opportunity gor anyone with a degree in Linguistics, Language Studies, and even Fine Arts.
AI Creativity Consultant.
Creativity rarely occurs in a vacuum; it depends on diverse stimuli and diversity of stimuli. Collaborating with AI systems will help in creative efforts across the entire STEAM spectrum.
AI Virtual Reality Architect.
There’s not much of a leap from virtual reality to advanced surgery, infrastructure design and maintenance, agricultural management, military training, and countless other simulations.
Some details could vary, but these job titles should point to what our workplace will look like – or, more accurately, what it’s already looking like.
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