Keynote

The Future of Work

A Tech Humanist Perspective

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Corporate / Technology / Civic & Cultural Leaders / Business Audiences

There is a difference between the future of work, the future of the workplace, and the future of jobs.

The coronavirus pandemic is a form of exponential change that has affected us all. But collectively we face several other kinds of exponential change: climate change, AI and other emerging technologies, and the fallout of geopolitical upheavals in combination with these things.
How will the change in our lives from coronavirus further affect how we work and what we can expect from our employers, our employees, and the workplace in general?
Key need to address the multifaceted nature of human experience: every person who is an employee is also other roles in their lives, whether parent, daughter, son, friend, etc. Empowering team members’ and customers’ capabilities to function as full humans is a business advantage.
Thinking past this moment is critical for us to be able to begin building our businesses for the future we are now creating.

From AI-enabled recruitment systems to virtual presence robots, even the workplace of the present can seem a little strange. But what do emerging and exponential technologies mean for the future of human jobs?

It no longer sounds alarmist to say that at least some parts of our jobs are probably going to be replaced by automation or by cognitive computing. Depending on which forecast you consult, as many as half of all job categories risk displacement, if not complete replacement, by machines in the years to come. There will certainly be impacts on the economy, on production, on efficiencies of scale, and on innovation. But beyond the economic impacts, how will this shift our human understanding of meaningful work, of accomplishment, of achievement? And how can companies prepare for workplaces that increasingly blend human and machine contributions?

This thought-provoking and ultimately inspiring talk from Kate O’Neill, author of Tech Humanist, offers clarity, encouragement, and a thoughtful approach for business leaders to adapt to the big changes ahead while grounding the discussion in the timeless fundamentals of humanity.