2024 Week 42 of 52 81% Easier

Human default is to search for easier, yet easier is rarely better. It is easier not to think about our diets, but we would become overweight or obese, and around two-thirds (of Australians) are, by not taking care beyond the easy. It is easier not to drive within the speed limits, or to drive while distracted, but fines may come.

Self-service at the supermarket is in many ways easier, and increasingly the default. While the big supermarket groups deny reducing jobs, it would seem logical that now or into the near future, easier systems and usage of technology would reduce the need for school students (and adults) to get a first or other part-time job in a supermarket. Fully AI in our fast food is not far away (More >). Likely there will be fewer unskilled roles moving forward. The robots win.

In an Australian Financial Review article this week, noting the changing (#declining) consulting environment for the big four, KPMG CEO Paul Howes noted to staff that it aims to have just half its consulting work done by locally based advisers by 2026, with the rest carried out by lower-cost workers based in Australia and overseas, or performed by robots.

CEO OK, local skilled workers not required

With all the discussion of late around housing affordability, and the Australian dream of owning a home on the world's largest average block sizes, perhaps the focus should be more so on retaining and creating jobs for the future. 2024 seems like a year of excitement over easier, and artificial intelligence, but likely this is the start of a dumber workforce not needing to think - "AI does that" - and likely fewer jobs for those unable to think beyond a robot.

We love technology and disruption until we're disrupted out of jobs

Just like why buy local (including from consumer products to professional services) is so important, so is not always choosing to opt for technology to make our lives easier. Easier is often not better.

I wrote a piece back in 2018, in which I note that the robots are not just coming, they are living among us. But we should not fear the robots, but the people becoming robots.?

The challenge is to understand what humans do well, and get technology to help fill in the gaps. It seems that we are getting technology to do the fun stuff that we need humans to keep developing - creativity, abstraction, writing, art, thinking - rather than the horrible stuff like putting out the bins or cleaning the house.

It is important to ever remember that AI is not the Messiah bringing easy and better. From our usage, AI often gets its wrong, particularly if not managed carefully.

False data, citing reports that don't exist, eager to please and even rubbish.

I heard musician?Neil Finn yesterday in an interview say his family ?were so musically talented because they sang while doing the dishes each night, as they lacked the technological ease of a dishwasher.

If you don't use it you lose it, is a phrase that relates so much to thinking and tech today, and jobs in the future...

Want to read the full article? Visit squareholes.com >

Plus if you are interested in the research industry's global AI perspective ...

Embracing Synthetic Data's Potential While Valuing Real People >

The best use of AI is human + AI, with human driving.

Have a good Friday and weekend!

Jason

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(Incidentally, but related, Square Holes has established an expert advisory partnership to combine the robust real people data we've been collecting for 20 years to do some clever deeper (and accurate) insights via machine learning and artificial intelligence to support our long term (and other) clients. Reach out if you are interested in more info.)