For the past six years, I have been studying, researching, and talking with individuals around the world about the digital revolution.

As an avid runner, I use my runs to mentally digest and sift through all the information I’ve absorbed.  I think about the future, the potential paths we could take and then overlay human behavior to obtain practical viewpoint.

Imagine full automation real-time calibrated advancing AI. 

We’re not ready….nowhere close to being ready.

I’m not the only one thinking this thought either.

Last week, I attended an event hosted jointly by the French-American Chamber of Commerce and the Global Chamber – DFW Chapter.  In Stephane Mallard’s presentation, Artificial Intelligent Will Disrupt Everything; he repeated “we’re not ready” multiple times too.  Mallard provided one of the best and realistic presentations I’ve seen on the topic.

I think about potential employment for my son, who’s in high school.  I think about new markets and businesses that will need to be launched and created.  I envision how we will develop classes and train students and workers for the future.

I mentally twist and turn automation and AI backward and forward to imagine our world I would not recognize now.

Instead of waiting to see what happens, I believe in taking a proactive approach and have learned the hard way, when people say, “Oh, don’t worry about it.  It will all work out okay.” The opposite tends to occur as you are later blindsided.

So, why should we wait? A tech inventor, I know said, “the cats out of the bag” we need to plan now on how to manage this massive disruption that’s about to happen.

Action Plan for AI and Automation 

End Our Love Affair with STEM

STEM helped raise the awareness and increase the number of technology workers. However, we have reached a level where machines are creating software systems and languages internally without human assistance.

Many of the tech programming positions will be automated. Each day AI and robots manage more and more complex human activities from driving semi-trucks to being a personal home healthcare assistant to help your grandmother with her daily chores.

Tech workers of the future will be responsible for managing the IoT or teaching systems and robots how to learn. Imagine a room at Google or another tech center, where tech teachers teach robots, similar to children at a pre-k school, how to learn basic human functions. I believe we will have schools for robots and as they advance in their learning.  Similar to how humans learn now in public schools.

For anyone who has ever taught school, the job demands more skills than reading from a power point presentation.   It requires both a technical and liberal arts background.

Develop New College and Associate Degree Plans for All Forms of Higher Education

Many colleges have already taken this approach and have combined technology with liberal arts (thinking) classes to form ATEC degree plans.  We need to expand these offerings and include required classes in philosophy and ethics.

About once a week I read an article discussing the need for more philosophy majors. I would include history and art as well to ensure we do not make the same mistakes again.

Jeff Selingo has been talking about creating and promoting more career options instead of focusing solely on the four-year college degree route.

Vocational Training Will Be a Necessity

Who will fix our Internet of Things when they crash? A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post that listed possible jobs in the future related to the drone and robotics industry.

We will need individuals to develop a scalable business model for repairing these technologies and serve new undeveloped markets – the need will be there.

In 2016, the FAA issued 23,000 new drone licenses in three months.  Not everyone who purchased a drone will replace it when it crashes.  Think industrial drones for agriculture, construction, and similar industries.

So, who will be the first person to start a drone or robot repair service?

“Your One-Call Robot – Drone Solution” “We’ll Have Your Drone Back in the Air in Now Time!

Call today at 1-800-Fix-MyBot

I believe in the near future we will see more and more businesses open to serve areas we could not have imagined three or four years ago.

Time moves quickly when AI and automation are accelerating at exponential speeds, I would bet the line of acceleration is almost vertical.

We can’t wait longer. Nor can we keep our fingers crossed and think these jobs will magically appear when we need them.

As a former entrepreneur, starting and launching new businesses especially in undeveloped markets is extremely difficult.  However, we must move forward to ensure these new jobs will be available.  If we wait, I doubt will be satisfied with the options.