Few people are unaware of the threat that automation wields over the blue collar sector of society. From the Luddite days of smashing weaving machines, to the invention of the assembly line robot, and now with the impending explosion of AI-led driverless cars and a whole host of automated innovation. The blue collar worker has had to face all of these threats to their jobs.
However one thing that we are not really talking about in our society today, is the threat that low-to-mid level white collar workers are facing. Perhaps we are not talking about this threat because it is not sexy enough.
There are no stories of super intelligent machines running amok. No tales of robots doing the jobs humans used to do, hundreds of times more efficiently. This is the quiet unassuming story of real intelligence taking away what artificial intelligence can only dream of.
Navigating The Information Super Highway
The concept of gaining an advantage through information obtained, is not a new concept at all. Throughout human history, if an individual or group of individuals, has information that another group does not, then it is often the case, that the people with the info, can gain an advantage of the people without it.
This simple fact, is so powerful that within the business world, we have put restrictions on exactly how people gain and use information.
For instance, if you find out that the ACME Company is just about to be bought by Amazon, and you have found out this information in a closed meeting, or even got it without permission. If you then go and buy lots of shares in ACME, and are caught, you will be prosecuted, and possibly jailed.
However there are other types of information that can gain you almost as big an advantage as being aware of an imminent multinational takeover, and the internet is quite literally, awash with the stuff, and it is most certainly not illegal to use it.
Organisation Is Key
Trying to get information from the internet, is like trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant.
The above statement is true in a lot of ways, especially when you're talking about current affairs and the news in general.
However, when we talk about the kind of valuable information that can gain you an advantage in a given situation, the story is quite different indeed.
It is easy to forget that the internet in its current (broadband) form, has been around for less than 15 years, even if you count it from the beginning, when the internet looked quite different from what we see today, it is still just over 25 years old.
Like all human innovation that requires constant input, the world wide web of information is getting better, and by that, I mean better organised, which in turn, makes it easier to access.
Now anything you want to learn, that does not require physical materials, can be easily found, and done online; or 'on the line' as my 87 year old mother charmingly calls it.
New Information New Power
This state of affairs is not a new thing, sites like Lynda.com and Udemy, have been around for a long time. However now we are seeing rise in what I like to call knowledge sector information.
Knowledge sector information is simply the type of info that will help you cut out a white-collar middleman (or woman). For instance, there are now many types of legal advice websites, along with sites where you can download official documentation.
Nowadays, you can search for a solution to a simple, non-criminal legal problem, and sort the whole thing out yourself. Which of course will mean the poor solicitor (attorney) who would have done the work for you, now won't get his grubby little hands all over your hard earned dollars; shame!
This of course isn't just restricted to the legal profession, within media, huge visual effects and stunning animation, used to be only accessible to professionals with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and specialised knowledge.
Now you can log into blender.org and download a truly powerful piece of software for completely free, then go to youtube/Lynda/Udemy and learn how to use it. I am not exaggerating when I say that software like Blender, with all the pluggins, would have cost somewhere in the region of $100,000 - $250,000 just 10 years ago, maybe even 5, now you can have it for nothing.
A Smart Use Of Info
The information is out there accessible to all, however it is not usable by all, or at least not in the same way. The fact is, if you have the sort of intelligence that would have probably fared well in law school, you'll probably be able to pick up legal jargon quicker than the next person.
If you're already an artist, or have had experience with media programs, well you're going to learn a lot quicker than somebody who is just coming to software like Blender.
Despite this, the threat that freely available, knowledge sector information, poses for low-to-mid level white collar work, and in some cases top level, is very real indeed.
Disappearing Disciplines
Even though this 'movement' has been silent, the signs are there to see. Within professions such as the legal one, it is harder to notice because they are cluttered with so many actors.
In other industries it is easier to see, with some jobs disappearing altogether, titles such as SEO Consultant
are becoming obsolete, and older jobs such as travel agent are all but defunct as anyone with a computer can do what a travel agent can.
The main way to protect yourself, is to recognise if it is happening to either your industry, or ones connected to it.
How will it effect you if the general public start to do what you do at a fraction of the cost? Or perhaps somebody that supplies a service to you is becoming obsolete, how will that effect the way that you do business?
The good news is that if you are a low-to-mid-level white collar worker, you probably have more opportunity to retrain than a blue collar worker in your situation. There's a chance that you went to college, or even if you didn't, you're not afraid to learn new things.
Regardless of whether you are an unskilled manual labourer, or an insurance broker, making yourself flexible and amenable to change is the key to surviving, and thriving in the new world economy, and building as much real intelligence as you possibly can.
HOW DOES YOUR INDUSTRY WORK, IS YOUR JOB UNDER THREAT BY A.I. OR REAL PEOPLE WITH MORE KNOWLEDGE? AS EVER, LET ME KNOW BELOW!