By James Santagata
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!
We've previously discussed the massive impact (both opportunities and negative downside risks) of what can only be described as the inexorable march towards not just a robotic future but a future which fully and pervasively embraces the broader category of "bits and atoms" as Peter Thiel calls it.
This broader category includes not just caged robots working in a predefined space running a small set of canned routines but robots which can safely work side by side humans, robots with dexterity and the ability to utilize varied devices, pickup and wield small and varied objects and do and responds to varied tasks and situations.
Beyond that, there is the inexorable push forward with the broader space of factory automation (FA), autonomous systems and autonomous vehicles, machine vision, 3D printing and, of course, powerful, software based algorithms and expert systems.
This technology will not only fill industries and spaces where there is a shortage of labor but it will quickly and then massively erode industries, taking over any industry where there is a financial case leading to increased ROI by replacing human labor with these robots, systems and machines.
What's the impact?
Well, think: Delivery vehicles, drones, taxi's, school teachers, factory workers, cleaners, assemblers, bar tenders and on and on.
Here's a quick smattering of related news from within a few weeks time:
Principal Consultant, Career OverDrive!
We've previously discussed the massive impact (both opportunities and negative downside risks) of what can only be described as the inexorable march towards not just a robotic future but a future which fully and pervasively embraces the broader category of "bits and atoms" as Peter Thiel calls it.
This broader category includes not just caged robots working in a predefined space running a small set of canned routines but robots which can safely work side by side humans, robots with dexterity and the ability to utilize varied devices, pickup and wield small and varied objects and do and responds to varied tasks and situations.
Beyond that, there is the inexorable push forward with the broader space of factory automation (FA), autonomous systems and autonomous vehicles, machine vision, 3D printing and, of course, powerful, software based algorithms and expert systems.
This technology will not only fill industries and spaces where there is a shortage of labor but it will quickly and then massively erode industries, taking over any industry where there is a financial case leading to increased ROI by replacing human labor with these robots, systems and machines.
What's the impact?
Well, think: Delivery vehicles, drones, taxi's, school teachers, factory workers, cleaners, assemblers, bar tenders and on and on.
Here's a quick smattering of related news from within a few weeks time:
Certainly this is nothing new and is captured very nicely by William Gibson in his quote: "The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."
And yet, this is true as well.
Since the future is unevenly distributed it is extremely easy for us to miss the short-term, mid-term and long-term impacts.
This is sometimes referred to as Amara's Law:
"We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run."
- Roy Amara
What does all this mean?
Simple.
Be ready for not only endless changes but be ready for earth shattering changes.
Make sure you're FutureProofed to not just survive but to thrive and then triumph.
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