Charlotte Johnson on The Rise of Automation

As artificial intelligence continues to improve and develop, the threat of jobs being rendered obsolete rises, too. The notion that certain work will be completely automated within a few decades has led to severe anxiety regarding the future. However, a liberal arts education may provide the security for individuals to prepare for the age of automation.

Soft Skills
Though the name might suggest weakness to some, soft skills will prove to be incredibly important in the years to come. Automated processes may be able to complete tasks, analyze data, and speed up production, but there are limits to what artificial intelligence can do. Creativity, problem-solving, empathy, adaptability, and communication are just a handful of skills that cannot be automated, not completely.

A liberal arts education instills these qualities by presenting opportunities for organic development and exploration. Creativity and innovative problem-solving methods cannot be taught traditionally, and they can’t be automated, either. In a future that is dominated by automation, humans with the abilities to provide new perspectives on data, communicate efficiently, and provide nuanced solutions to problems will be invaluable.

Human Thinking
Artificial Intelligence is not omniscient; it is programmed to learn by recognizing patterns, and in doing so, improve efficiency and accuracy in certain tasks. However, it is no bold claim to assert that, in order to function, artificial intelligence programs require human assistance. Not only will these programs need humans to perform standard maintenance, providing an increase in technical jobs, but they will need humans for more informational and data-related tasks, as well. Automated programs will be capable of assessing data in certain ways, but they will need humans to pose questions and account for bias. Humans will also serve as translators, conveying information from the program to a wider, human audience, once again necessitating strong skills in empathy and communication.

Labor Demands
As technology advances, the demands for labor and skill sets change. It is easy to imagine that automation will lead to a spike in unemployment and a disenchanted attitude toward education and the workforce. However, the past shows us that this will likely not be the case.
Once, before tools and methods advanced, agricultural workers comprised roughly 70% of the population in order to support the livelihood of their communities. Today, that percentage has dropped to a mere 2%. Those farmers were not simply left without work; instead, they were allowed to innovate and find work elsewhere in other niches, often more rewarding than the work they left behind.

Innovation and automation will allow workers to pursue new careers, some of which may not yet exist in our imaginations.

The best way to prepare for a future of uncertainty is through a liberal arts education like the one provided by Scripps College; learning soft skills and tactics that are universally applicable like critical thinking enable an individual to take on unfamiliar challenges and overcome them. The rise of automation may present some challenges in adjustment, but preparing for that future with the right, diverse education is sure to lead to success.