【Farmer’s Wife: Handle with Care! Part 1: Angel Advent】

We’ve all heard that the robots are Farmer’s Wife: Handle with Care! Part 1: Angel Adventcoming to take our jobs—especially considering the imagined futures in movies like "I, Robot" and TV shows like "Westworld" and "Humans."

While that’s not entirely true—life does not imitate art in this instance—automation will dramatically change the job landscape. To navigate this unfamiliar terrain, the workers of the future will need to adapt to remain valuable.

The state of automation today

Smarter automation technologies are slowly becoming more common in industries ranging from manufacturing to high-end, more technical programming. Compared to human employees, factory robots can work in harsh environments, require no breaks, and save money. That not only eases the burden of physical labor on humans, but it also removes opportunities for humans to earn a living—if they don't change how they create value.

But despite the science fiction warnings, robots are not coming to steal jobs from humans and leave them sitting idly on the sidelines. On the contrary, for every advantage artificial intelligence provides company owners and managers, employees get one, too.

According to McKinsey & Company, robots will not take over half of all jobs, as some studies claim. McKinsey’s researchers discovered that, while almost all employees will see some of their work become automated, only about 5 percent of jobs will be completely automated, leaving great potential for humans to not only keep their jobs, but to also become more productive than ever.

And even then, AI doesn’t want to put people out of jobs. In fact, it can help them find new ones. AI matching systems can analyze candidates' skills and match them to job openings that suit their abilities. For example, one company currently uses a system to analyze market data to tell employees whether they’re being underpaid and help them identify other potential opportunities. The more widespread AI-powered data analysis becomes, the more accessible its benefits will be for the average worker.

Preparing for the automated world

But candidates and employees don’t have to wait until automation reaches its peak in the workplace to stay ahead of AI. By looking to the future and keeping their skill sets up-to-date, today’s workers can ensure they’ll be valuable in any new landscape. Here are three possible futures employees should keep in mind:

1. Become a trainer

In the manufacturing industry, where the robot fear is perhaps strongest, the potential advantages are enormous. Robots allow companies to reduce overseas labor, keeping jobs in the country and allowing manufacturers to focus on innovation. As that happens, the demand for more technical skills — such as trainers — will grow.

Trainers will need to be present to teach AI how to eliminate errors, emulate human behaviors, and stay on track in general. While this may create a brief dip in unskilled labor, it will also pave the way for a safer, more sustainable industry work over time.

2. Bridge the gap as an "explainer" 

Explainers — great communicators who understand highly technical systems — are needed to close the gap between AI systems and the nontechnical humans who need their robotic insight. As AI systems become more advanced, their deepest data gains become more difficult to leverage into actionable business decisions. From business executives to general consumers, people will need workers who can analyze the AI's findings and translate that information into meaningful advice.

For example, some AI services are monitoring employee emails to spot language that indicates an employee is unhappy at work. And while some AI systems can understand sarcasm, there are still some nuances of human communication that AI does not understand.

3. Hone your creative thinking skills

Employees concerned about being replaced by automation should either find something computers cannot do as well as humans or become invaluable to the advancement of technology. For students and young workers who will live in the new AI-centered workforce for several decades, choosing the right career path is key. In enterprises, while AI is already helping recruiters identify better candidates — even those who haven’t applied for the job — there are still concerns around what an AI system doesn’t understand.

What if the AI software starts favoring candidates who are all the same, increasing homogeneity at the cost of useful diversity in skills and personality? Hiring automation systems are still in their infancy. It's not yet known whether they can make better decisions than human managers (or whether invasions of employee privacy are worth the headache).

With this in mind, creative thinkers are still a necessary part of the workplace. Charles Fadel of the Harvard Graduate School of Education recommends pursuing creative career choices to stay out of automation’s path. Computers can iterate upon existing ideas, but they cannot come up with new ones. These creative fields — and creative thinking in business — will always have a place in the workforce.

Those who wish to get involved with the production of new AI and automation technologies will find themselves at the forefront of an exciting new field. As these technologies become widespread, the need for people who understand how AI works and can customize solutions for different industries will become massive.

Automation's place in the workforce is still in its early years, but even as it grows, it won’t be as scary as many might believe. Whether workers shift to new fields or stay in their old jobs, the work will still be there to do.

K.R. Sanjiv is the chief technology officer of Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. Sanjiv has overseen the development of Wipro HOLMES artificial intelligence platform, the company’s proprietary AI system. Sanjiv has more than 25 years of enterprise IT experience, including consulting, application development, and technology development spanning multiple industry segments and diverse technology areas. He tweets regularly about advancements in tech at @KRSanjivCTO.