The voice-activated IoT-enabled AI-analyzed robot-clad cloud-delivered possibilities at CES, the “world’s largest tech show,” did not disappoint. But I went to Las Vegas this year intent on learning about something a bit more mundane: People.  I believe we often neglect the “people side of tech,” and  started with the question,” What Skills Will We Need to Make All This Work?  

But the big elephant in the room was that automation is eliminating jobs. Even as leaders herald skyrocketing productivity, the waves of forecasts have been ominous: “75 million existing jobs will be automated by 2022”, touted the World Economic Forum WEF; “Robots will perform 52 percent of current job tasks by 2025”. Forrester warned, “10 percent of US jobs will be lost to automation in 2019” The Sunday night before CES started, Kai-Fu Lee, author of AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order, was interviewed by CBS 60 Minutes “Forty percent of the jobs in the world will be displaced by technology”. 

So it was with a sense of urgency that I queried leaders at CES: “Exactly what new roles will be needed to make this cool tech a reality? And exactly what work is going to be left for mere humans to do?” After some awkwardness, the discussions got interesting. Here are some of my observations: 

This Is Actually Familiar Ground

While AI, robotics, big data and machine learning are already starting to automate routine tasks, most people identified  work humans will still need to do to support the end-to-end supply chain for delivering all these capabilities. New roles will require that people learn the why/what/how of these automated solutions. But these new roles are often based upon ones we are quite familiar with. The names might be new, such as  “robot personality designers” or “automated vehicle maintenance technicians” or “data trash engineers”, but people will still be needed in roles that define, develop, distribute, sell, support and maintain new tech-enabled offerings.

“Houston, We Have Problem”

While automation will definitely free people of routine tasks, it will also create opportunities for people to serve in roles that ensure these new offerings actually deliver on their promise. Consider “Network Control Center Managers” for driverless cars, or “Customer Success Managers” for residents of complex Smart Homes and workforces in Smart Buildings. People serving in these new  roles won’t need to have engineering PhD’s, but will need to understand what a user is striving to accomplish, and how the solution is supposd to help them, and what to do if it doesn’t work.  Cognizant flagged that just the task of securing all this technology is going to create a breadth of new positions: “Cyber Calamity Forecasters”, “Machine Risk Officers”, and “Virtual Identity Defenders”. Humans will be needed to serve in a myriad of roles to monitor, enable, support and resolve issues for overwhelmed and sometimes frustrated people. We are essentially creating the need for “Mission Control for Mankind,” staffed by people with the ability to not only use technology and problem solve, but who have compassion and good communication skills to help people gain the benefit of this techno-wizardry.

Filling the Jobs that Humans Aren’t 

Though many have voiced concerns about automated vehicles eliminating jobs, today there is actually an enormous shortage of truck drivers. In fact, “truck driver” made the 2018 list of toughest jobs to fill in the United States. This is the result of an aging workforce, high turnover and soaring demand for freight delivery. (Thanks, Amazon!)  Thousands of open driver positions are going unfilled around the world, not only in long haul trucking, but for local deliveries as well. 

Tech to the rescue! The folks at UDelv are convinced that one of the earliest benefits to humans of self-driving cars will be to provide excellent quality last mile delivery. UDelv is already delivering groceries for the not-for-profit meal organization  Second Harvest Food Bank . They are also working with XL Parts to get local auto repair shops the critical parts they need faster. Ford is partnering with Walmart , and GM’s Cruise is teaming up with DoorDash to pilot last mile delivery as well. This application of automation addresses a gap. Automation is used in lower risk, predictable driving routes to serve customers who may not have been able to receive or even afford that service. Win-Win. 

Addressing a Caregiver Crises

An estimated 117 million Americans will need assistance of some kind by 2020 as baby-boomers age, yet the number of caregivers – paid or otherwise – is woefully inadequate. A new wave of caregiving is required that incorporates technology to meet this tsunami of demand. At CES,  I was delighted to meet Addison Rose, the virtual caregiver, enabled by AI and augmented reality,  to help people safely recover from illness or age at home. The system monitors your activity, reminds you to take medications, evaluates your gate as you walk, and provides real-time assessments if a client develops evidence of increased risk of falling or health decline. And in the same way that Tom Hank’s Castaway character became emotionally connected to his volleyball friend “Wilson”, patients who’ve had “Addison the Virtual Caregiver” as a roommate often report they are less lonely with this voice-enabled perky companion. 

Families who have taken on the role of caregivers for loved ones are often overwhelmed and exhausted by its complexity. They too are going to be able to lean on technology to support them in new ways, such as the recently launched  Ianacare , an application that creates a virtual care team for caregivers. Mobile connectivity and AI is also helping to vastly expand the number of people available to care for those in need.  Be My Eyes is helping the blind and those with low-vision solve day to day problems by crowd sourcing the help of sighted people on the spot, using everyone’s mobile phones.  Crisis Text Line  is saving lives every day by providing a free, 24/7, confidential text message service, staffed by millions of volunteers using their phones to support people in crises by text. These new business models enabled by new technologies are creating new “caregiver” roles for a global community of volunteers and professionals whose skills, knowledge, and compassion never could have been tapped before. 

How Will Humans Differentiate From the Robots?

Kai-Fu Lee‘s CBS 60 Minutes interview the Sunday before CES didn’t give him a chance to talk about his view of the 10 jobs that are safe in an AI world. He posits, “AI will take care of routine optimization tasks in tandem with humans, who will carry out tasks that require warmth and compassion.” And Harvard Business Review’s Gustein and Sviokla have outlined 7 Skills that Aren’t about to be Automated including communication and emotional competence and ending the list with “a strong moral compass”. “The fact that the world will be increasingly controlled by machines lacking an ethical compass amplifies the importance of having people in our future workforce who possess strong moral values.“ 

Here’s what I’ve concluded: Automation has limitations when it comes to delivering value. There are going to be lots of jobs for caring, thoughtful, problem-solving humans who will be integral to new Fourth Industrial Revolution processes. Humans will serve as the “secret sauce” that builds truly satisfied loyal customers, drives continuous improvement,  considers ethical boundaries, and inspires innovation.  However, to thrive in this environment, we must make an investment. We’ll need to be curious and invest in continuous learning as a way of life. And, if these positive human qualities will be our best “competitive advantage,” we’ve got a serious call to action. Building the workforce for the future requires cultivating our positive human qualities, and prioritizing caring for each other…starting today. The robots are going to need us.

The “people side of tech” is a journey that we need to plan more intentionally to take together. If you’d like to continue the discussion, let’s chat. 

Susan Schramm   Founder, Go to Market Impact  susan.schramm@gotomarketimpact.com