Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Adult Technology may replace 40% of jobs in 15 years

I couldn’t agree more with your last post, Indigo.

Thanks, Eagle Mum!

Evidently high-tech is not the only force competing to eliminate human jobs... there is a trend for low-tech goats to take on brush-clearing tasks, replacing landscapers and volunteers who previously did that work: https://pittsburghparks.org/gardening-goats-return-to-frick-park-to-munch-on-weeds/

All the more reason to educate children, including the gifted, in concepts such as:
- anticipating the potential for economic instability,
- weathering difficult times by utilizing skills in personal finance and budgeting,
- discerning between NEEDS and WANTS,
- anticipating the need for flexibility and resilience in career choices,
- understanding and following principles of health and safety including the roles of nutrition and exercise,
- embracing personal responsibility,
- providing leadership and role-modeling,
... and more.

With many employed in computer science, even more entertained by it, and increasing numbers being educated in it, the possible trajectory of Artificial Intelligence as shared in this book may both fascinate and frighten readers:
AI by Design, A Plan for Living with Artificial Intelligence
by Catriona Campbell
1st Edition, 2022

The Turing Test (1950), is mentioned in Campbell's book.
(Link to wikipedia article on Alan Turing's test - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test)

The Future of Life Institute (FLI), Cambridge Massachusetts, is mentioned in Campbell's book and may also be of interest.
(FLI link - https://futureoflife.org/, wikipedia link to article on FLI - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_of_Life_Institute)

The Future of Humanity Institute (FHI), Oxford England, is also mentioned in Campbell's book and may be of interest.
(FHI link - https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/, wikipedia link to article on FHI - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_of_Humanity_Institute)

Evidently, technology may replace more than just jobs in the future.

Also mentioned in Campbell's book, according to a recent article published online by The Guardian, is the concept of artificial intelligence introducing virtual offspring:
Tamagotchi kids: could the future of parenthood be having virtual children in the metaverse?
The Guardian
May 31, 2022

Campbell's paperback book (ISBN 9781032196664) is available on Amazon.
(link - https://www.amazon.com/AI-Design-Artificial-Intelligence-Robotics/dp/1032196661)

I recently stumbled upon some interesting research that is being done on the future of work, and differences between "cognitive" and "physical" jobs. Haven't had the time to read it myself yet, unfortunately:
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2204.07073.pdf

Another fascinating (to me!) topic of research is the topic of health extension.
Basically, pursuing efforts to eradicate diseases that are still plaguing us (such as cancer, Alzheimer...) might result in trying to reverse the process of aging, as a lot of diseases humans are dying from in developed countries actually are caused by aging.

Here a list of projects in that branch of research from The Foresight Institute:
https://foresight.org/biotech-health-extension-program/

Might seem offtopic, but it seems like a lot of people interested in building "something new" are working either on artificial intelligence or longevity research. In that sense, in a world increasingly driven by AI technologies, we will probably also see more and more attempts at somehow modifying? improving? human biology

Beyond the excellent advice listed by Indigo, I will throw the universal basic income (UBI) into the mix of solutions to future developments on the job market:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_basic_income

i.e. I also believe that politicians will need to propose solutions. Automation cannot be shouldered by individuals alone.

Definitely of interest to the gifted, and to much of humanity... either because their local population lives to become elderly, or because they would like to remove causes of premature death and increase the lifespan of the local population (enabling more of them to become elderly).
Here's a link to an old thread - http://giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/BB/ubbthreads.php/topics/236651/Aging.html#Post236651

Ah, "transhumanism" ... ethical considerations abound.
Wikipedia link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism

Applications of Artificial Intelligence are everywhere, both visible and undetected, with many PROs and CONs... including convenience, data collection, and transfer of decision-making power. Whether any particular attribute is seen as a PRO or CON may not be universal but may depend upon which side of the transaction one finds themselves on.

Some names to potentially watch in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) include:
- Margaret Mitchell
- Blake Lemoine

I am curious: do you have opinions on transhumanism? Arguably, for example, curing aging-related diseases is largely concordant with transhumanist ideas, if we happen to largely increase human longevity in the process.

cf "Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement which advocates for the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity [...]"

My naive way to think about this would be
"humans have always tried to cure diseases" -> "now we are trying to cure aging-related diseases" -> "in the process we realize that aging itself might be the root cause of those diseases" -> "let's look for ways to prevent aging from happening"

i.e. transhumanism might simply be a natural culmination of human efforts to improve their own condition.

Personally, that's why I see the necessity to start working on this topic from all required perspectives (philosophical/ethical considerations as well as technological developments). Because I believe that this will be happening no matter what.

cf also potential futures you mentioned in which parents might be facing the choice of having virtual children, offered the option of genetical engineering, etc...

PS: Margaret Mitchell seems to have a very interesting look on algorithmic bias! I will endeavour to catch up with her work

I question the definition of "their own" in the quoted post, as it could be referring to:
- an individual's own condition on a personal level (self-determination)
- humanity at large, the human gene pool, all humanoids (experimentation).

One's view of the ethics may depend upon:
- which side of a transaction one finds themselves on... experimenter or experimentee (subject),
- whether one had freely entered into an agreement (informed consent) -OR- whether one was coerced, pressured, threatened, or an action was mandated.

It's been nearly 5 years since this article was written:
Transhumanism And The Future Of Humanity: 7 Ways The World Will Change By 2030
by Sarwant Singh
November 20, 2017
Forbes
(emphasis added)

@Indigo, I wish there were like/love buttons I could select for your last comment which is currently so very contemporaneously pertinent.