The future has come … and with it, new opportunities to savour the world!
We are increasingly being provoked to learn new skills and competencies to be more productive, smart or successful … but wait! It may be necessary to learn to unlearn some bad habits and methods, and learn to become lifelong learners — for the rest of our lives!
Humanity has not changed very much biologically throughout history, but human society is undergoing a profound transformation driven by new technologies, which are affecting our value systems, power structures, routines and the environment. Technological advances are leading us to the fourth industrial revolution, where it is estimated that all repetitive cognitive tasks will be automated, allowing us to merge with digital, physical, and biological systems.
Much has been said that in the near future, intelligent machines will be present in our homes and workplaces and they will become an integral part of the production, education, medicine, security and every domain of our lives.
We already live with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in technological devices in an almost imperceptible way, but in the coming years AI will radically change our world, from the prediction and diagnosis of diseases (considerably increasing the extending of human live— I will write more about this in another post), from questioning patterns of behavior of people and organizations, to the revolution in the way we work and relate with each other.
According to Byron Reese (futurist and author of The Fourth Age: Intelligent Robots, Conscious Computers and the Future of Humanity), we are entering the Fourth Age, driven by two technologies, artificial intelligence, in which humans are outsourcing thought, and robotics, in which we are outsourcing the action.
Welcome to the 21st century! We are living an era of transitions between technological advances and social revolutions!
According to the Future Today Institute, “Transition generation will bridge the gap between programmable systems to the cognitive age, where machines will be able to learn, decide, create and coexist together with us.” In the report, it is said that AI is considered the new electricity and our personal data is the fuel generating the electric current.
Should we be concerned about these changes?
Among the priorities pointed out by the McKinsey Global Institute is the skill upgrade. The survey estimates that automation technologies should deliver significant benefits to people, businesses and economies, boosting productivity and economic growth.
With these technological advances, we will see the decline of some jobs. Automation will impact 60% of current professions and will create new occupations that do not exist today. According to a report published in 2018 by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in the United Kingdom, it is estimated that artificial intelligence will eliminate 7 million jobs by 2037. However, it is expected to create about 7.2 million new jobs in the country until then, in health, science and education.
The World Economic Forum in the 2018 report, The Future of Jobs, also comments on these transformations, which if wisely managed, can lead to a new era of good jobs and a better quality of life for all, but if mismanaged they represent the risk of widening skills gaps, greater inequality and greater polarization.
In a Forbes article, some experts say that these fears around AI and robotics, destroying jobs, is an exaggeration. Instead, the experts interviewed in the article believe the activities that will be automated will be mundane and boring and that they will be replaced by more interesting and creative occupations.
Adapting is part of evolution and our occupations will evolve side by side with even more capable machines.
The expectation is that by 2020, there is a huge demand for higher cognitive and behavioural skills, such as complex problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, decision making, which are skills difficult to automate.
Talking about the need to devote more time to learning new skills, Harvard Business Review conducted a study with LinkedIn and brought interesting data. They found that traditional business employees waste a third of their day on emails that have little or nothing to do with their jobs. Traditional corporate learning portals are rarely used (usually only when training is required), and it usually takes many clicks to find what you need. The focus of learning ends up being relegated — consciously and subconsciously — to the important, but not urgent. In addition, employees accumulate, on average, only five minutes for formal learning each day.
In the traditional model, workers are so caught up in the inexorable flow of work that there is no time to prepare for the rapid changes happening around us.
Lifelong learning as a key to driving adaptability to transformation processes.
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” Alvin Toffler
This quote is present in the discourse of many professionals who are devoting themselves to discussing the future of work and education and it demonstrates the importance of learning to take advantage of all the opportunities that the digital age offers. The first time I heard it was in the Friends of Tomorrow (FOT) course, through Tiago Mattos, futurist and one of the co-founders of Aerolito. To navigate this new world, one must exercise the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn again. Abandon old habits and open up to the new, seeking to live the maximum of experiences and opportunities that will bring a more comprehensive view of the world.
Challenges in work environments are changing very fast and traditional education cannot keep up, so the pursuit of continuous and adaptive learning as a mental model is so important.
Brian Tracy (author on personal development) once said: “Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future.“
In parallel, we live the urgency for civilization to apply humanistic values to this transition.
Learning to be more human may be our biggest challenge. All these technological transformations present a series of philosophical questions about the nature of the use of intelligent machines, their ethical use, and the state of humanity itself.
Studies are advancing in understanding the functioning of the human brain and in the new skills needed to solve global problems, but there is a risk that collective human intelligence will not keep up with artificial intelligence. I believe we need to raise our human consciousness to encourage the creation of ethical digital products, services and systems that help people navigate this increasingly unpredictable and complex world. In addition, we also need to create a more sustainable, inclusive and reliable digital future.
Knowledge is the basis of the new economy and it involves the ability to learn — until the end of life. Here are some tips that I consider important (and what I’m trying to incorporate into my daily life):
- Always keep an up-to-date list of what you want to learn. Everyday ideas and opportunities arise to learn something new. Write down, make your list and schedule yourself to learn.
- Take time to work on yourself. How you fill in that time can vary a lot, but be intentional about it: set a specific goal and include the learning moments in your daily routine.
- Be mindful and watch for signs. Be attentive and present while you do your daily work, and be aware of the signs of your environment. At all times many opportunities arise, we need to sharpen our senses to perceive/see/hear them.
- Learning is not the only way to learn. Unlearning is learning as well. We do not have to be afraid to change or unlearn habits or methods that do not add any more. Exercise unlearning and abandon the paradigms that hold you where you are, and give space to the new!
- Include the practice of listening to audiobooks or podcasts on the commute, whether by car, uber, public transportation, or bicycle. Try these: Overcast, Stitcher, Podcastgo, Audible …
- To learn specific content, browse the online platforms. The options are many! Veduca, Coursera, Udemy, EDX, Eduk, Skillshare, Lynda, Masterclass, FutureLearn…
- Consider new ways of working. Not only do most people now run multiple employers throughout their careers, but many are going beyond the traditional. Worth knowing the Officeless is a movement that believes that through working remotely, we can create working relationships based on autonomy, purpose and trust.
- Exercise curiosity, question the world, challenge the established, and be open to the ever new. Developing a continuous learning mindset is an organic way of cultivating the apprentice mentality.
One thing is a fact, we have evolved from a scarce world of knowledge to an abundant world of knowledge. There are excellent learning contents everywhere. What prevents you from starting a course, learning something new or undertaking a project? The most common reason people give in general is lack of time … Change that reality! Take action to devote time to learn, unlearn and relearn.
By definition, habits are something you do automatically, without thinking. And they are performed, most of the times, unconsciously. No one knows for sure what skills will be needed in the future, so we need to change our habits about how we learn and develop skills. Start changing your routine and actions to change your habits.
The future of work and learning is not just about jobs or skills, but about the pursuit of our own identity and the pleasure that works brings us. Let’s seek to be hopeful about the future, where we can all learn new skills faster and live more diverse and interesting lives!
In researching the meaning of the word “know”, I discovered that it is linked to the word “taste” (to the palate). In Latin, know itself is linked to intellect and knowledge. The connection between the taste and the intellect may seem crazy, but then we can say that knowing or learning means developing the ability to taste the world.
So, how about starting to taste the new world, learn something new or leave old habits behind? If you liked the text or have any tips or interesting experience to share, feel free;)
