The Irrelevance of non-technical workers in the 21st century

 Waqar Ahmed | The Smart Perspective

This blog is based on the idea of “human irrelevance due to growing impact of AI & Machine Learning” from the Book of Yuval Noah Harari's “21 Lessons for the 21^st Century.”

Technology has changed everything from writing and printing to communication and business dynamics. In simple, human super-engineering has made technology so smart that almost every hardest job has now become easier and enjoyable. As technology got more and more acceptability among humans, it also brought with it the menace of inequality.

Instead of supporting the narrative of Humanity’s globalized world, technology has brought before us a challenge of human division. With the growth of technical data and skills, most of the people who belonged to old skill sets have started feeling irrelevant. Artificial Intelligence and machine learning have definitely made our lives easier, but it has definitely put a huge challenge before us in terms of intelligence & competency.

Of course, humans will always lose when it comes to fighting AI. Humans have emotions, doubts, second thoughts, and a slow processor of information consumption. Whereas, the machine is free from all these clutters. The machine can do better at the emotional and ethical front in comparison to humans. So, the chances of remaining in scope for both humans and AI is 30-70. The former is uncertain because of its inability to quickly process data and adapt to the changes, and the latter is smart with the ability to do everything even that which humans can't ever perceive undertaking.

The challenge of Irrelevance

As the technology has skyrocketed in the global market, the biggest challenge is to stay relevant. Most of the work can be easily done by machines with the help of Artificial Intelligence. And if machines can do better than humans, why bother hiring humans who have full potential to mess up. Machines are 99% accurate and effective. Therefore, today, we don’t have to focus on the increase of AI and Robotics in common life activities, because we have got bigger problems than worrying about what is inevitable. The problem of irrelevance is mounting. More technology would force Industrialists to focus on hiring a few “error-free robots” instead of humans who are slow and have the capability to be wrong, and more importantly, AI is cheap.

In the future, we need to prepare to face the irrelevance. The teaching might still be provided through physical classrooms but for how long? Poor countries can’t afford to invest more money in creating infrastructure for schools and then hiring teachers with a permanent monthly fee. They can simply build internet platforms in every single town and start giving online education. No need for infrastructure and the hiring of teachers. The purpose of education would effectively be served through online classes without any worry about the physical institutions to execute just the same job. 

Modern technology will help poor countries educate more children, and also save lots of money which later could be invested in projects that help in improving the socio-economic conditions of people. The teaching profession would be irrelevant, not all, but definitely, a certain amount of people will have to look for other professions.

Future belongs to those who adapt to new trends and follow through. The irrelevance can only bring harm when we fail to live up to the standards of the time's being. There will always be uncertainty in the Internet economy, so better would be to fasten the seat belts and prepare for the storm that is on the rise.

Note: This blog is purely "opinionated" and could be wrong. The readers are suggested to believe in scientific research & data. This blog is just a spark to the biggest issues that humanity is facing. The writer intends to open up space for further dialogue and debate on the biggest human issues under the auspices of the academic arena. 

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