Vision for the future of work - part 5

I have focussed my vision on the larger trends that I think will appear around #organisationdesign, #leadership and the human factor in a world of #AI.

Before I dive into what this all means for HR, the future of HR and job design, I want to briefly share my global view of the “bigger picture”. Remember I am not an economist, nor a business analyst, but….

AI technology is expensive, requires big financial investment and is energy intensive. The large organisations can afford this investment, but they are so complex, cumbersome to run that they need people to run them. I believe we will see the growth of small(-er) companies who will drive new ideas applying some form of AI but making their competitive advantage through the people-factor; there where AI can not compete with humans. Young people with drive, ambition and ideas, plus many educated unemployed people will push creativity and ideas to start new businesses.

Elon Musk says “AI will bring an age of abundance where any goods or services that you want, you can have”. AI is said to bring high quality cheap goods and services. I wouldn't question Elon Musk, but I don't think it will go that fast yet.....

It’s money and energy that makes the world go round. I don’t believe that everything will be AI and Robots, as some reports make us fear as they start to call humans “irrelevant” or “useless”. And call me cynical, but even if goods and services will be produced a lot cheaper thanks to the new technology, will they also be offered at a cheaper rate to consumers? If not, there are huge margins, which will give room for businesses with less access to AI and technology to compete.

More #startups, more medium sized organisations, will also add to the vision of the #futureofwork , as they operate in a different dynamic and structure than large organisations. They also require different core skills (see previous posts on Critical Skills for Growth).