The statistics of artificial intelligence and automation eliminating millions of jobs appear frightening to some. For example, some retail businesses plan to eliminate cashiers altogether, and delivery services are experimenting with driverless vehicles.

People are already being replaced and displaced by technology. Gig work opens doors for people to seek work without the need to be retrained or trained to do something new. The younger generations already realize the importance of technology. It has been a part of their entire life. They read differently; they seek their entertainment differently; they communicate differently. They are not amazed by drones. Driverless cars may not need a driver, but the vehicle has to be owned by someone. Driverless semi-tractor trailer trucks are already on the highway. Younger generations may prefer that technology drive their vehicles. Most cars are parked over 75% of the time. Technology may increase the utilization rate of underutilized assets. Technology will also enable more effective utilization of time. As people become available to do new forms of work via tech assistance, marketplace efficiency will increase. The greater society is predicted to benefit. Individuals working differently experiencing more flexibility and freedom in how they work may find a bit more of the happiness and peace of mind we all seek.

History does not appear to support the success of those who have attempted to plan and protect against innovation and change. All evidence suggests that innovation increases the speed at which we perform just about everything enabling greater efficiency. Artificial intelligence will enable faster learning and working. Educators will become even more effective as they embrace change and innovation, and so will every other profession and form of work. The doctor will not protect against artificial intelligence. The doctor will use artificial intelligence and possibly a bot to provide better care. It’s a different perspective. Obviously, we should have concerns however, when we embrace innovation we also grow our possibilities. Who would have thought, twenty short years ago, that we could conduct business from a smartphone.

The use of Artificial Intelligence will enable us to do more with less and much faster. The idea of the worker “having” to be in a fixed facility to get the job done does not trigger the same thought process as it may have triggered twenty years ago. Each of us probably knows someone who has never worked 9-to-5 in any fixed facility and never plans to. Human Resource professionals have been experimenting with flex time for over 15 years. Women, in particular, have always appreciated flexibility and freedom in how work could be done. McKenzie, the business consulting firm, and others have been predicting significant changes in the future of work and what it will look like for many years. The growth of the gig economy is an example of how interested people are in flexibility… the opportunity to work when they want to. Technology in most cases has been the enabler.

Recently, we have read many reports about women not returning to the workplace. More workers found that they could work and remain productive by working at home. The smartphone is a great enabler that supports flexible work opportunities. With a smartphone, you can often work from anyplace. During the pandemic, we learned the effectiveness of video conferences. Now we video conference a great percentage of all calls. New workers hired over the past year may not have visited an office or participated in a physical interview. Why would we discard anything that has proven to be effective? This is no longer a trend; it is the beginning of a new way of working and balancing life. From our perspective, we should embrace innovation. The future of the microentrepreneur appears to be very promising and though artificial intelligence, one of your future business partners may be a bot…