I was on a business trip recently, and noticed how wedded we are to our machines. They have become an extension of our existence. Everyone traveling was interacting with some kind of machine, either listening, working, or playing. What does this have to do with job security? Everything.
The promise of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are quickly becoming realities, where machines are evolving from being “things we command” to “things that learn on their own and take action.”
Machines are not just performing functions, they are learning from their own activities, gathering data faster than we ever could, and taking action on what they learn.
This is making a lot of people nervous. They are worried about job security.
“Are we going to be replaced by machines?” The answer is definitely, positively “yes.”
It will happen as it has been happening, in bits. Whole industries have become irrelevant, thanks to machines. It happens, and it can happen to anyone.
So what’s a human being to do? When you consider how much things have changed in the last 20 years (can you even imagine a world without social, texting, and email?), you can assume that the pace of change is only going to accelerate.
The truth is, there is only one true source of job security: Aggressive learning.
Whatever is happening, you learn what you can about it, and you put what you learn into practice. You leave your comfort zone every single day. Fortunately, we all now have access to whatever we want to learn about, and can also easily reach out to others who know a lot about just about anything.
So, while machines are learning, so are we. We can help each other with this, passing on lessons we have learned. YouTube and other video platforms are doing so much good in this regard.
No matter what is happening in the economy and in the world, there is always a place for people who keep learning, finding new ways to solve problems and help others.
It’s really a way of looking at the world, an endless quest to answer the question, “How can I help?”