What will we do in the future, as technology replaces professions?

Technology is quickly supplanting all professions. Even those professions which seem out of reach from technological transformation. How long until computers are capable of those things we believe to be entirely human? Storytelling, original artworks, or even the building of technology itself.

Inevitably, AI and technology at large may replace humans on all levels of professions as they exist today. This change is happening at a rate that is palpable, but not so fast as to cause societal upheaval.

Much like the pervasiveness of smartphones into everyday lives this past decade, technology will pervade our lives. This in itself is a reason why society isn’t about to crumble under the pressure of change. Humans have a wonderful way of always finding new problems to solve. For every profession or piece of professional work we replace with technology, a new human position is likely to be formed.

While the cotton gin took a year’s worth of human labor and compressed it into a week, it also created a untold number of jobs down the line. More processed cotton meant more products to create using the cotton. We need not fear a lack of occupations in the future, we only need openness to the coming changes.

The most optimistic of theories for the future of work is that of creativity. As more and more technology takes over the mundane tasks of the workforce, more time can be spent on creative endeavors. As more products are technology generated, those products hand crafted may see a rise in value.

Another possible outcome is that of a population wide minimum income. This is the case which technology replaces humans on enough levels of the workforce that society as a whole just doesn’t need everyone to directly contribute to society. With the advent of compelling and low cost VR experiences, we could see a future in which a substantial portion of the population survives off of a minimum income and spends their days experiencing virtual content.

Whatever the future holds, it will likely be an amalgam of theories spliced together. So long as government and commerce adapt at an appropriate speed, we as a society have little to worry about. It is in our hands to choose the future, and the future is rapidly approaching.