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When robots reach the point of being just as good as, or even better than, humans at work in a couple of years, the only thing that remains is human relationship-building and connection<\/p>\n
getty<\/p>\n
What if the future of work is\u2026no work at all?<\/p>\n
I had an eye-opening conversation with \u201cthe father of AGI,\u201d Ben Goertzel, just yesterday on my podcast. He believes that we are a mere two or three years away from achieving fully independent human-level artificial intelligence, known as AGI (artificial general intelligence), similarly to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.<\/p>\n
And if it does, most jobs won\u2019t survive, he warned. \u201cOnce you have a human-level AGI\u2026 the vast majority of human jobs become obsolete.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, to be clear, the AI pioneer and computer scientist doesn\u2019t believe this will happen overnight.<\/p>\n
He expects that once an \u201cAGI breakthrough\u201d occurs, there will be a transitional period before it fully rolls out and is adopted at scale, pretty much how artificial intelligence went mainstream with Gen AI in 2022 but has taken a little while for organizations to fully adopt and implement.<\/p>\n
He also believes that a few roles, like those of educators and teachers, will remain intact.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, a couple of years is not a long time at all for the start of a workplace upheaval, where robots can do most of the jobs of humans better than we can.<\/p>\n
So in anticipation of a probable job apocalypse, what should workers be doing now?<\/p>\n
Career Advice Is Swiftly Becoming Outdated<\/p>\n
\u201cPrompt engineering was the most important thing two years ago\u2014but not now,\u201d Goertzel said with a dry smile. Skills are quickly declining in value, he explained, giving way to other skills that rise in importance. <\/p>\n
\u201cSkills are changing rapidly, and no one can accurately predict which jobs will go first. Like, the fact that lawyers and graphic artists are going obsolete before plumbers or electricians or research mathematicians–I mean, that wasn\u2019t obvious to anyone,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut work is so much more than making money,\u201d I questioned. \u201cWhat about people who work just because they enjoy it and find it satisfying? What about those who work for the sense of pride, fulfillment, satisfaction and contribution to the economy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Goertzel then painted what he called a utopian world where:<\/p>\n
AGI and superintelligence (next-level AGI) would be able to do most of our jobsOn the flip side of job loss, this would mean more time for human connection, spending time with loved ones and family, and getting to know ourselves better as humansPeople could pursue more fulfilling and emotionally rewarding endeavors than chasing hours around the clock for moneyUBI (Universal Basic Income) and distributed, decentralized access to the benefits of technologyThe 3 Skills You Need To Be AI-Proof <\/p>\n
Ahead of the \u201ctransitionary period,\u201d as Goertzel called it, workers will need to hone skills that will enable them to be fully useful and remain relevant in the future of work (if we can still call it that by that point):<\/p>\n
1. Strong Human Relationship-Building And Communication Skills<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce super intelligence does come, assuming it comes out beneficially for our species, you know, what we\u2019re left with is ourselves, our own minds and bodies and our, our friends and family and our human relationships,\u201d he said. \u201cSo that\u2019s what matters. I mean, if you\u2019re happy with yourself in your own life and you have people you love who love you, that will still be there and that\u2019s probably the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Going back to my reference of teaching occupations as still outlasting the AI era even at the advanced stage of AGI and ASI, this actually makes a lot of sense. <\/p>\n
The skills that will matter the most in the next frontier of AI will be the ones that are driven by human relationships.<\/p>\n
Even today, we\u2019re seeing this. In an era of AI slop resumes been churned out to recruiters, and ATS filtering out even the most capable candidates, the ability to have access to a human connection or decision-maker and get a referral is even more critical.<\/p>\n
In that case, focus now on building skills like:<\/p>\n
Emotional intelligenceRapport-buildingCommunication skills (at all levels)Active listening<\/p>\n
Emotional intelligence and the ability to pivot quickly will save your career as we enter the new future of work<\/p>\n
getty2. The Ability To Pivot<\/p>\n
You need to be \u201cable to pivot rapidly and tap dance really fast,\u201d Goertzel told me. Adaptability and agility are in the top skills required by employers today, according to Coursera and the World Economic Forum reports.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re used to sticking with the same way of doing things and refuse to adjust, even for a moment, you\u2019ll be out of touch with reality and lose relevance, and won\u2019t be prepared for what\u2019s in store for you next.<\/p>\n
This means:<\/p>\n