‘Ai’ Fast Food Drive-Thru Is Mostly Just Human, US Jobs Data Miscounting Millions of ‘Gig’ Workers, the End of Cushy Tech Jobs and More...

Approximately 60 million independent workers in the United States represent $1.5 trillion in US GDP and growing. Projections estimate that 50% of our US workforce will be independent workers by 2025- 2030. The Gig Economy represents a trend that will digitally transform the future of work.

Every?organization?in?every industry?needs a Gig Economy strategy. Not having one is like missing the internet trend in 1990 or the mobile revolution in 2010.

?The Freelance Revolution

The Industrial Revolution of our time is the rise of independent contractors and the globalization of knowledge work. We can see the US workforce undergoing a massive structural change.

An ‘AI’ fast food drive-thru is mostly just human workers in the Philippines . Presto Automation, a company claiming to use artificial intelligence in fast food drive-thru, predominantly employs human workers from the Philippines for order processing. This approach, part of a broader trend where firms represent manual labor as AI to cut costs, has come under scrutiny following regulatory filings. Investigations into the true nature of Presto Automation's AI technology are ongoing.

Universal basic income and the gig economy: A combined policy approach to alleviate the challenges of AI ?- The Gig economy represents a cultural and economic shift where young people prioritize flexible, experience-based lifestyles over traditional asset ownership. Various factors, including economic constraints, environmental awareness, and technological advancements, drive this trend. Universal Basic Income (UBI) is suggested to address the socio-economic challenges posed by advanced AI technologies, such as job displacement and economic inequality, by providing a stable income to support innovation, creativity, and a fair distribution of technology's benefits.

2 millennial teachers were punished for posting adult content on OnlyFans. Are they victims of employment discrimination? ?- Two English teachers at a Missouri high school, Brianna Coppage and Megan Gaither, faced repercussions for posting adult content on OnlyFans, sparking debate over employment discrimination and personal freedoms. Coppage resigned, and Gaither was suspended after their activities were revealed, highlighting the risks of such side jobs and raising questions about the extent of employers' control over employees' private lives. The situation reflects broader issues in the gig economy and the challenges faced by those in low-paying jobs like teaching, who turn to platforms like OnlyFans for additional income.

US jobs data may be miscounting millions of 'gig' workers, research suggests ?- Research indicates that millions of gig workers in the US may not be accounted for in official employment statistics. This discrepancy, which could involve up to 13 million workers, suggests that the actual labor market may be tighter than currently perceived. However, this also implies that the economy might have a greater capacity for growth without triggering inflation, challenging established views on the link between employment levels and inflation.

AI Meets Talent: The Age of Generative AI

With the "Big Bang" moment in November 2022, OpenAI's ChatGPT was launched, ushering in a new era of generative AI, accelerating the fusion of technology and talent, and presenting challenges and opportunities for individuals and businesses alike.

AI art takes skills too ?- The discussion revolves around the skills required for creating AI-generated art and the ethical considerations involved. It compares AI art creation to traditional art forms, acknowledging the unique abilities needed for effective AI art generation. The conversation also delves into the complexities of copyright and artistic originality in the context of AI, highlighting the evolving nature of art in the digital age.

How ChatGPT And Generative AI Can Impact The Freelance Economy ?- "The Night Agent" topped Netflix's viewership in the first half of 2023, surpassing 812 million hours viewed. The platform's report also indicated a significant global audience for non-English titles and the lasting popularity of several Netflix originals. This data release aligns with Hollywood writers' demands for greater transparency in viewership statistics, which has recently led to new agreements on success-based residuals.

The Changing Workplace

We see unprecedented numbers of companies implementing remote work programs. How we work has forever changed and requires new skills and leadership approaches.

Salesforce Signals the Golden Age of Cushy Tech Jobs Is Over ?- Salesforce, renowned for its employee-friendly approach under CEO Marc Benioff, is significantly shifting towards a more challenging and Darwinian workplace, mirroring a broader trend in Silicon Valley. This transition is particularly pronounced in sales and marketing roles, which were massively expanded during the tech boom and the COVID-19 pandemic but have since faced substantial layoffs amidst industry downturns. Driven by cost-cutting efforts and activist investor pressure, these changes at Salesforce have ushered in a more performance-focused culture, impacting employee morale and marking a potential end to the previously flourishing era of tech sales.

RTO in 2024: Fast Company’s 8-point guide for designing an office your workers actually want to return to ?- Fast Company's 2024 guide to office design, informed by architects, business leaders, and workers, underscores the importance of creating workspaces that employees are eager to return to. The report emphasizes understanding and addressing current workplace shortcomings to design solutions that fulfill and exceed employee expectations. It highlights a variety of innovative design solutions from leading firms, tailored to various working scenarios, with a focus on adaptability, connectivity, employee well-being, and sustainability, catering to the evolving shift towards hybrid and remote work models.

Hello, I Do Not Work Seven Days a Week ?- Freelancers often need help with employers overstepping boundaries, expecting full-time availability without offering full-time benefits. This situation underscores the importance of setting clear work-life boundaries and the difficulty in enforcing them. Additionally, a scenario is described where a freelance writer experiences rejection for a full-time position despite having the necessary qualifications and a history of successful freelance work with the company.

PAUL ESTES has been at the cutting edge of technology for over 20 years with leadership roles at Dell, Amazon, Microsoft, MURAL, MagicLeap, and Ally Robotics. He struggled to balance his life with these fast-moving leadership roles, so he hired his first virtual assistant, transforming how he lived and worked. He shares his experience in his best-selling book?Gig Mindset , which helps people and organizations understand that now is the time to address systemic?location bias ?and encourage companies to reach beyond their organizational boundaries to engage the world's best minds.??

He is inspired by the work of the late?Leila Janah , author of?Give Work: Reversing Poverty One Job ?at a Time, and her quote, "Talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not." This inspiration inspired Paul to lead a team of progressive HR, procurement, and legal trailblazers to launch Microsoft's Gig Economy freelance program.??

Paul is the former host of the?Work on Demand Podcast . Each week, Paul provides insights and perspective to over 100,000 readers of his weekly LinkedIn newsletter, and he frequently shares his insights as a keynote speaker and panelist.

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