Rage against the Machines? How does a young person navigate the world today in an age of exponential AI & robotics growth
With Elon Musk planning to build hundreds of millions of 'Optimus', robots, self-driving cars set to replace millions of jobs and people consulting chat bots for emotional support, the topic of AI and robotics is one we SHOULD be talking about more and certainly should be more AWARE about.
- WILL YOUR JOB STILL EXIST IN 5 YEARS TIME?
I believe we're entering into, or already have entered into, a phase of massive change with unprecedented impact. The forces of competition have meant we may be heading at breakout velocity towards a future many people can't comprehend, driven by the forces of inter-company competition coupled with an ideological shoot-out between East and West with each one assuming they hold the moral high ground and therefore must win the race. While this juggernaut may lack a brake pedal, we will do well to contain it with some firm guard rails.
So, as a young person, how do you become part of the change or best insulate yourself against the negative forces of the change? How do you make yourself future proof?
You can of course get a job at one of the tech companies or find a way to influence the political debate? (Politics will always be behind the curve on this). But short of this, I believe there are some daily habits that can serve us well as building blocks to unshackle ourselves from the grip of the algorithms, and retain some agency in our lives.
- RECAPTURE YOUR OWN ATTENTION
Start by asking yourself whenever you are 'online' if you are doing what you intended or if your attention has been hi-jacked. Keep track of the time you spend on unplanned activities daily and monitor progress - try turning off notifications and move as many apps as possible off the home page of your device to reduce the number of times you engage with them daily.
Don't get me wrong, I love an algorithm, especially Spotify's playlist suggestions and I've just invested in a smart AI note taker to transcribe and summarise meetings, recordings, videos etc. but they can be a malevolent force, especially if they are robbing us of our attention.
- FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY LIKE THE BRANCHES OF A RIVER
Use the time saved on scrolling to learn something new each day, even if it's just 15 minutes. Listening to an educational podcast counts. Become curious…. Explore things outside of your sphere of expertise… start recognising patterns. Be a creator using your newly acquired skills and knowledge to share something uniquely you with the world.
- PAY ATTENTION AND EXERCISE CRITICAL THINKING
Pay attention to what's going on and source your information from multiple sources and fact check everything. Young people are already more skeptical than older generations and have good BS detectors so this should come more naturally!
- THE HEART RULES THE HEAD
Move to the heart… Robots may soon be smarter than you and even more dexterous so, even if we lose the head and hand race, empathy and compassion are uniquely human skills that matter more than ever. Explore professions where head, heart and hand are ALL important. These will be hardest to disrupt. Be ready to re-invent yourself multiple times. Get comfy with chaos
- ENJOY COMPETITIVE PURSUITS
In an age where we all have more leisure time, past times will be more important. It's how we use our leisure time that will count. Engage in new pursuits with real human connections. We may see an explosion in competition in a whole range of activities, as human imperfection and vulnerability is what makes competition between real humans unpredictable and compelling.
In conclusion…. BE AWAKE, BECOME CURIOUS, BE A CREATOR, MOVE TO YOUR HEART
And finally…. buy shares in the companies creating the future. If the world's wealth becomes concentrated into the hands of a few, you may as well have a stake in it!
This post was written by Mark A King. You can follow him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markkingbravo/
