Human Possibilities Using Artificial Intelligence
The robots are coming! Yes, I know. But what are you doing about it? Could you describe yourself as a proverbial ostrich with your head still stuck firmly in the sand when you think of the word ‘robots?’
When I was first put in front of a computer in 1987, I didn’t even know how to turn it on. An IBM PS/2 was the latest and greatest and it had a huge 20MB hard drive. Wow, how times have changed.
Ironically, in 2017, I feel as if some people are still stuck in 1987 – particularly when it comes to looking for a career.
Yes, resumes are now entered into Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) – but the old adage of a shorter resume won’t work if the ATS is looking for a keyword that is not included.
Yes, you may have a LinkedIn Profile – but have you taken the time to include enough information to be found?
Yes, you may even have your own personal website or blog – but have you installed Google Analytics and created a Google Plus account so that it can be found in online searches?
Yes, you know people and they have referred you to new opportunities in the past – but do you have a database where you keep their information and keep in touch on a regular basis?
Yes, you may have heard about professional career advisers – but have you ever actually paid for professional assistance to create a career aligned with your core values?
Yes, you have completed Facebook quizzes on your personality type based on your favourite color choices – but have you ever made use of a more comprehensive culture and personality online tool?
If the robots really are coming, us humans need to remember that we can’t keep operating in a linear fashion in a multidimensional world.
The best and brightest people have always understood that there is so much to learn and understand when creating artificial intelligence and machine learning.
To develop these resources, they need to break down every aspect of a task and create a process to replace it. The humans who create artificial intelligence have to think and act beyond themselves and understand how to replicate that function on an automatic and ethical basis.
But what I see in everyday life are people who are not able or not willing to explore the possibilities that they have with the existing artificial intelligence available to us right now.
If we do not learn how to work with it now, there will be new underclasses in the future. I have stated before that being able to speak a local language is essential to living and working in a particular location. Digital competency is the second language we all need to learn right now or we will be left behind.
At present, I see the salespeople of the world infiltrating social media with social commerce and maximising their opportunities but I see more and more individuals not reaching their potential because they fear what they do not understand and get swept up in the addictive nature of visual social media platforms.
Like most challenges in life, education is most likely the key. What I would like to see is more people learning how to develop their digital competency – and start by using it to find a suitable career. I would also like to ensure that our enterprises and policy makers employ a diverse group of people to develop the robots of the future – so that us humans can continue to grow and evolve on a collective basis rather than on a have and have-nots basis.
Now is the time to understand where artificial intelligence and machine learning is already appearing in our lives and make use of it in practical ways on a regular basis. This will give all members of our society an opportunity to increase the range of possibilities for humans of the future. Don’t waste another minute of your life with your head still stuck in the sand. Use what is already here right now!