The World Economic Forum, the Fear of Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace and Your Unnecessary Existence

Over the past five years, the global public has become increasingly aware of the World Economic Forum, a collection of global elites who believe that they have the solution to every problem that ails humanity.  With the growth in the importance of artificial intelligence (AI), it's not surprising that the WEF weighs in on this global phenomenon.

  

In this posting:

 

...the WEF makes the following observations (with my bolds throughout):

 

1.) Emerging technologies including AI will disrupt jobs and employees’ skills in the coming years.

 

2.) Around a fifth of workers in the US say they fear AI will make them obsolete, a phenomenon dubbed “FOBO” (fear of obsolescence).

 

3.) The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report finds that some roles will never be replaced and that AI will lead to job growth in some areas, while upskilling will be key.

 

The author of the piece, Kate Whiting, Senior Writer for the WEF, then goes on to provide us with the following:

 

"Imagine waking up one day and finding your job has been automated overnight by intelligent machines. Then you discover even the career you dreamed of pursuing next has already been mastered by AI. 

 

Quickly, more and more human domains once thought impossible to replicate – art, music, emotion – fall prey to advancing algorithms until all uniquely human talent and purpose dwindles in the face of superior robotic counterparts. Soon your very existence becomes trivial … unnecessary."

 

It would appear that if anyone should be experiencing FOBO, it's Ms. Whiting because she goes on to inform us that the preceding paragraphs were written by AI.

 

Here is a graphic from Gallup that shows us the growing percentage of American workers that are concerned about becoming obsolete because of technological advancements:

 

Gallup and the WEF also note that certain demographics are more concerned about a technological takeover than others:

 

The author goes on to state the following:

 

"Is FOBO justified? It largely depends on the profession you’re in as to how many tasks can be automated, but humans will always need to be kept in the loop to some extent – with their work augmented by AI. 

 

Routine and repetitive tasks are the ones AI is most likely to automate, according to the World Economic Forum’s Jobs of Tomorrow whitepaper, whereas critical thinking and complex problem-solving could be augmented by the technology.

 

Only 16.1% of an HR manager’s job, for example, shows potential for automation and 22.2% for augmentation, according to the report.

 

But there are some roles AI will never be able to replace, and in fact, careers in agriculture, education and supply chain and logistics will likely see growth."

 

I'm not sure about your personal work experience but during my career, I found human resource departments to be an essentially useless appendage with many companies that I worked for totally abandoning the use of HR personnel.

  

Being the provider of solutions to all problems facing humanity, the WEF provides a solution to the problem of becoming obsolete:

 

"In the next five years, employees estimate that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted, meaning upskilling and life-long learning are now more essential, says the Future of Jobs Report 2023.

 

The skills most in demand are those that AI can’t replace, including analytical thinking, empathy and active listening, and leadership and social influence.

 

AI will also create new fields of work, with growing opportunities for: “trainers”, “explainers” and “sustainers”, the Forum’s white paper, Jobs of Tomorrow: Large Language Models and Jobs, found."

  

Here two summary graphics from the aforementioned WEF white paper on the jobs of tomorrow showing which jobs have the highest potential for large language automation and augmentation:

 

 

In an "Editor's Picks" from its website, the WEF makes the following observations about the fear of becoming obsolete in the age of AI:

  

"As generative AI rapidly evolves, a new fear grips the workforce: FOBO, the Fear of Becoming Obsolete. A recent Gallup survey reveals a 7-point increase since 2021 in US workers who believe new technologies threaten their jobs, reflecting a growing sense of anxiety about AI's impact on the job market. Experts predict that 44% of skills will be disrupted within the next five years, further fueling these concerns.

 

AI brings opportunities amidst the disruption

 

However, the rise of AI presents a double-edged sword. While some fear job losses, 50% of organizations anticipate AI-driven job growth. Companies are rapidly adopting generative AI, with specialists in AI and Machine Learning topping the list of fast-growing professions. This suggests that workers can leverage the situation by upskilling themselves in AI.

 

Human skills remain key

 

Despite the AI wave, human faculties hold their ground. AI fluency ranks only third on the list of desirable skills by 2027, trailing behind analytical and creative thinking. This underscores the enduring value of uniquely human capabilities, even in an increasingly automated world.

 

Cautious optimism among workers

 

Despite the anxieties surrounding FOBO, the overall sentiment towards AI remains positive, as revealed by a global study by PwC. While some express concerns, a third believe it will enhance their productivity and efficiency by freeing them from routine tasks and allowing them to focus on developing more complex and marketable skills."

 

So, the global ruling class's solution to becoming obsolete is for workers to "upskill".  Is a college graduate worker in their fifties really going to have the ability or desire to upskill when the potential for retirement is only ten to fifteen years away?  Is a worker who didn't graduate from high school going to have the capability or financial resources to upskill in artificial intelligence technology?

  

Welcome to the WEF's AI-based dystopian future which the global elite claim is the "steam engine of the Fourth Industrial Revolution" as shown here:

You'll do nothing, own nothing and be happy.  Just put up, shut up and eat your insects.

The Future of Working

The World Economic Forum, our self-appointed global superiors, have outlined what work will look like over the next half decade.  Not surprisingly, the WEF's braintrust is using the COVID-19 pandemic as the raison d'être for prompting the changes in how the useless eaters will work for a living.  Let's look at some of the highlights of this article by Desmond Dickerson, Manager of the WEF's Center for the Future of Work: 

Let's start by looking at the author's qualifications:

You will notice that Mr. Dickerson is also affiliated with Cognizant as the Manager of its Center for the Future of Work.  Here is more information on that aspect of Mr. Dickerson:

Dickerson notes that there will be four changes that will define the way that we work five years from now:

  

1.) Remotopia or working from home (WFH):  Dickerson observes that, at the beginning of 2020, less than 5 percent of workers did their jobs remotely.  This grew to more than half of "knowledge workers" (a person whose job consists of handling or using information).  He goes on to state that companies like Facebook, Google, PayPal and others have announced permanent remote working policies.  He claims that studies show that remote employees work longer hours and are more productive than their "in-office" counterparts.  Here is a graphic showing the benefits of remote working that appears in his article:

 

All of that said, as those of us who actually worked for a living know, the vast majority of jobs cannot be done from home.  While he notes that Google, PayPal and Facebook have announced a permanent WFH model, these companies make NOTHING (other than profits for their shareholders and wealth for their founders).  Most jobs involve the use of equipment that is not found in an average household (i.e. the heavy equipment used in the manufacturing, extraction and construction sectors) and, in some cases, face-to-face collaboration is the only way to "get the job done".  In my working career, it was necessary to have input from four different disciplines prior to making a final decision; I can see no way that this interdisciplinary coordination could have taken  place in a virtual meeting.  As well, the training of new staff, both newly graduated and new to the company) cannot take place while working from home; over the long-term, this will result in poorly trained employees and feelings of isolation among those who are new to a company.  So much for the idea of team work.

  

2.) Blue Collar, White Collar, Green Collar: Of course, given the WEF's fixation with climate change, Dickerson notes that new green business opportunities will arise, particularly as the Biden Administration rejoins the Paris Agreement. This will result in a rise in the number of workers required for the new green businesses.  Here is a quote:

 

"As new regulations and new technologies give way to new platforms and ways of doing business, the workers behind it must evolve. The rise of “green collar” jobs represents great opportunity for job creation and will be a salvation to many workers whose jobs will be eliminated by new policies around industrial carbon cuts or automation.

 

Over the past decade, digital transformation has turned every company into a tech company. The next decade is likely to see similar transformation in sustainability policies and strategies.

 

As every business becomes a green business, organizations will need to train green collar workers to combine tech skills with domain-specific training in environmentally-friendly business processes. These green collar jobs will range from solar installation technicians to ESG Directors that manage an organization’s overall portfolio of climate change reduction efforts."

 

3.) Evolution of the Gig Economy: Here is another quote from Dickerson's article:

 

"The next COO at your company will work remotely, stay with the company for six months, and never even get a company email account. But they will be the best hire you’ve ever made."

 

In a recent Forbes article, we find this quote from Ben Huffman, CEO of Contra:

 

"There is a fundamental shift to project-based employment, tricky at first, but long-term will lead to a renaissance in how we work and enable all of use to achieve greater work-life balance.  COVID-19 is an accelerant to a trend that has been long overdue."

 

What wasn't said by Mr. Huffman was that companies benefit from project-based employment because companies don't have to pay for benefits and pensions and can end workers' contracts whenever they feel like it without the added cost of severance pay.  "Better work-life balance" will be achieved but only because workers have absolutely no job security and could easily find themselves suffering from long periods of unemployment.

 

Now, let's look at a quote from Dickerson's article regarding the "gig economy":

 

"In years past, freelancing was viewed as a last resort for individuals that struck out in traditional roles or for those that were otherwise undesirable employees. Now, the most talented individuals are betting on themselves.

 

Freelancing offers agility to companies that must adapt to unexpected challenges and provides freedom to workers who want flexible and remote work arrangements. Embracing this shift positions all parties to succeed in the future of work, no matter where or when that happens.

 

As the coronavirus pandemic forces a re-think of entrenched work culture norms, the opportunity arises for disruption of professional services via the gig economy. But the tools to move towards a less exploitative and more just platform economy will be essential – with strategies that involve transparency, accountability, worker power and democratic ownership."

 

"Worker power" and "democratic ownership"?  Not going to happen, particularly with temporary employees.

 

4.) Automation and AI augment the workforce: Dickerson states that much of the conversation around the WEF's Fourth Industrial Revolution pivots around the "importance of so-called knowledge workers".  He claims that some manual labour will be eliminated by intelligent machines and that other manual jobs will be augmented by intelligent machines.  Here is a quote:

 

"...previously labour-intensive roles will see more dangerous tasks offloaded to machines. This gives rise to roles like “Man-Machine Teaming Managers” that will analyse business functions to assess the proper mix of human and robotic workflows. This is one of many other roles that will emerge at the intersection of human creativity and machine efficiency."

 

Here are Dickerson's conclusions:

 

"The COVID-19 pandemic represents an inflection point that will significantly re-shape the future of work over the next five years – and likely beyond. Understanding the second and third order effects of the pandemic are mind-bending, but key to successfully navigating the future of work.

 

While it is impossible to predict exactly how each of the trends will play out, leaders should be evaluating the range of possible outcomes and assessing their readiness should any of those scenarios play out.

 

Change preparedness will determine success for most organizations – separating the losers from the survivors and shining a light on the outright winners. It also offers the opportunity for organizations to shape the future they want rather than simply manage the future that comes."

 

Given that Mr. Dickerson is writing for the World Economic Forum, it isn't terribly surprising that he emphasizes the importance of technology (automation and artificial intelligence) in the "new Post-COVID-19 workplace" and that he promotes the idea of working from home to "save the planet".  That said, from his personal working experiences, we can see that he has led a rather sheltered work life, keeping his hands "clean" and free from any tarnishing that a manual labour job would include, making it difficult for him to see the reality facing hundreds of millions of workers around the world who are trying to cope with their own economic nightmares.

America's Deadliest Jobs

A recent report from the National Council on Occupational Safety and Health looks at which companies in America (and one in South Korea) have the worst records when it comes to on-the-job worker fatalities.  The report, "The Dirty Dozen", looks at the 12 employers that put their workers at risk due to unsafe workplace practices.  

During the 2015 work year, a total of 4836 workplace deaths due to on-the-job trauma took place in the United States, up from 4821 in 2015 and 4585 in 2013.  This is the highest number of work-related deaths since 2008 when there were 5214 fatal injuries.  In addition to deaths from workplace trauma, an estimated 95000 American workers also die on an annual basis from long-term occupational sicknesses and an additional 3 million workers experience workplace injuries every year.  On the upside, since 1970 when the Occupational Health and Safety Act was signed into law, the number of annual workplace deaths has dropped by 65 percent from 13,800 (a rate of 18 per 100,000 workers) to its current level of 3.4 per 100,000 workers as shown on this graphic:

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that each workplace fatality costs employers and taxpayers approximately $8.7 million; with the drop in the number of deaths since the Act was passed in 1970, employers and taxpayers are saving over $200 billion annually. 

The National Council on Occupational Safety and Health selected its 12 worst workplace fatality offenders by looking at the severity of injuries workers, exposure to unnecessary and preventable risk, repeated citations by state and federal authorities and activity by workers to improve health and safety conditions.  Now, let's look at a summary of the "Dirty Dozen" in alphabetical order:

1.) Atlantic Drain Services of Rosalinda, MA - On October 21, 2016two workers drowned in a trench when a pipe burst at an excavation site.  Atlantic Drain had not taken any steps to ensure that the walls of the trench were shored up.  The OSHA identified the company as a "severe violator" after the company had been cited repeatedly for safety violations including failure to observe trench safety rules.  The OHSA proposes fines of $1.4 million for 18 safety violations related to these two deaths.

2.) California Cartage of Long Beach, CA - A truck driver was killed after being run over by his own trailer.  In November 2016, Cal/OSHA cited the company for repeated safety lapses at one of its warehouses, mainly related to operating unsafe forklifts and unstable docks and ramps.  The company was also cited for four serious safety violations including using unsafe ladders, exposure to falling objects which resulted in a fine of $11,250.

3.) Dedicated TCS of Lansing, IL - On October 8, 2015, one man was killed when three men climbed into a railway tanker to clean the interior and were overcome due to a lack of oxygen.   The company did not have functioning gas meters, proper lighting or rescue equipment available at the worksite where the incident took place.  A similar incident occurred 10 months earlier and resulted in a citation from OSHA and was the third time in two years that OSHA had issued similar violations against Dedicated TCS.

4.) Dollar General of Goodlettsville, TN - The Tennessee-based retailer operates more than 12,000 locations employing more than 100,000 employees across the United States.  OSHA has found repeated violation where store exits are blocked with merchandise and fire extinguishers are unmarked, conditions which could lead to a disaster if a fire were to take place.  Since 2010, OSHA has cited the company more than 100 times and has assessed more than $1 million in fines. 

5.) Environmental Enterprises, Inc. of Spring Grove, OH - On December 28, 2012, a 20 year old employee was given permission to use an electric saw in the vicinity of flammable materials, resulting in an explosion and fire that severely injured two workers, one of whom died later in hospital.  OSHA cited the company for 22 safety law violations which resulted in a fine of $45,000.  The company was also indicted by Ohio's Attorney General for charges including involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, tampering with records and tampering with evidence resulting from the company falsifying training records to make it appear that proper employee safety training had taken place.

6.) Fuyao Glass America of Dayton, OH - Workers in the plant where glass products are handled and cut are not allowed to use safety gloves.  Workers are exposed to electrical hazards, are using dangerous chemicals without training and use machinery without proper guarding.  The OSHA has cited the company for 23 serious violations and recommended over $223,000 in fines. 

7.) Nissan USA of Franklin, TN - On November 16, 2016, a maintenance worker was killed when he was struck on the head by a 1275 pound counterweight while checking on repairs to a conveyor belt.  Over a four year period from January 2012 to June 2013, another three workers were killed at the same Nissan plant located in Smyrna, TN.  Another Nissan worker in Canton lost three fingers while repairing a conveyor belt; Nissan has been cited six times for safety violations at the Canton plant.

8.) Pilgrim's Pride of Greeley, CO - In October 2012, a worker at the company's poultry plant in Canton, Georgia attempted to remove a piece of cardboard from a hopper and became ensnared in the machinery which crushed him to death.  In March 2016, the OSHA recommended $77,000 in fines after a worker lost three fingers while repairing a machine that started inadvertently.  In July 2016, OSHA recommended over $78,000 in fines against the company for violations including exposure to amputation and fall hazards and failure to provide proper medical treatment to injured workers.

9.) PrimeFlight of Nashville, TN - OHSA has cited the company which provides a range of outsourcing services to the airline industry including hazardous material cleanups for 22 health and safety violations at various airports over the past three years .  These violations included failing to provide protection against blood borne pathogens and hazardous chemicals as well as allowing employees to use unsafe transport vans and lift trucks. 

10.) Samsung of Seoul, South Korea - Samsung, Korea's largest company and a manufacturer of consumer technological devices including televisions, cell phones and computers, is a significant user of highly toxic chemicals.  More than 200 cases of serious illnesses among employees (mostly young women between the ages of 20 and 40) have occurred including lupus, leukaemia and lymphoma, 76 of which have resulted in death.  Samsung refuses to disclose information on the chemicals used sing they are deemed "trade secrets". 

11.) TransAm Trucking of Olathe, KS - In 2009 when a trucker employed by TransAm discovered that the brakes on his truck trailer were frozen, he was told to wait in below-freezing temperatures for roadside assistance by the company.  The heater in his truck was broken and he was forced to disconnect the disabled trailer from the cab and fuel up and warm up at a nearby gas station after spending a freezing night in his cab.  He was fired when he returned to company headquarters.  He appealed the decision based on the OSHA which gives workers the right to refuse work that they consider to be unsafe to themselves or other workers.  In 2016, he received $280,000 in back pay after a  successful court appeal.

12.) Valley Garlic of Coalinga, CA and X-Treme AG of Kerman, CA - On June 20, 2015, a passenger van  being driven by an unlicensed driver and carrying migrant workers from fields near Gilroy, CA to worker housing 85 miles away, spun out of control, killing four women.  The decedents were employed by X-Treme AG, a farm labor contractor who supplied workers for Valley Garlic.  Valley Garlic's contract with the company specifically forbid the contractor from transporting day labourers.  In October 2016, an injunction from U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Ishii has prohibited the contractor from transporting farm labourers.

Looking further at a statistical analysis of workplace deaths, we find that fatal injuries in 2015 involving foreign-born workers were at the highest level since 2007.  Workers aged 45 years and older suffered 58 percent of workplace fatalities but accounted for just 45 percent of hours worked in 2015.  Seventeen percent of workers who died on the job in 2015 were temporary, contract or contingent employees.

As well can see, while workplace fatalities have declined significantly since the early 1970s, the recent upswing in deaths is concerning.  It is obvious that some employers cut corners when it comes to workplace safety, an issue that becomes even more prevalent when profits are under threat.  It is necessary that all workplace deaths be thoroughly investigated and that employers be held accountable to ensure that future safety violations are deterred.         

Workplace Tracking - Big Brother is Watching

There is no doubt that for many workers, the workplace today is a far different place than it was back in the 1970s and 1980s.  One reason is the use of technology by employers, particularly the use of tracking systems like GPS installed on the company's vehicles or cell phones.  Thanks to a survey by TSheets, we now have an idea of how many workers in the United States are tracked by their employers' use of global positioning systems.  To put this into perspective, TSheets, the company that claims to "Love Employees", has developed mobile time tracking applications for both iPhone and Android that includes GPS location tracking and allows managers to track an entire team at one time.  The company's online web dashboard can be used on any desktop or laptop computer to provide an employer with a time tracker for each employee.  Here are some of the things that their system can do:

1.) Who's Working:

2.) GPS Time Tracker:

3.) Mobile Device Time Tracking Applications:

All of this can be your employers for around $4 per month per user plus a monthly base fee.

Now that we have that background, let's look at the survey by TSheets looking at what employees think about GPS tracking in their workplace.

1.) One in three employees state that they had been tracked by GPS in their workplace.  Of these, 70 percent are not concerned about their employer knowing their location during the workday.

2.) Of those that have been tracked, 54 percent state that it has been a positive experience compared to 5 percent that have a negative experience.

3.) Of those that have not been tracked, 16 percent think that it would be a positive experience compared to 38 percent that have a negative opinion.

4.) One in ten employees are tracked 24 hours a day by their employer.  An additional 30 percent stated that they weren't exactly certain when GPS tracking stopped for the day.  One in five employees said that their employer switched on GPS tracking without warning.

5.) When GPS tracking was introduced into the workplace, nearly half of employees talked to their union representative or manager about the change, another 45 percent did nothing or simply complained to their co-workers and the final 6 percent either threatened to quit or actually quit their jobs.

6.) When it comes to the use of GPS apps, 60 percent of those surveyed use GPS apps outside of work by only 16 percent would be happy to use them at work.

Here are the employees top concerns about the using of workplace GPS tracking:

   

Looking at a relatively recent court case, a California woman was fired from Intermex Wire Transfer, LLC after she disabled the job-management Xora app (now ClickSoftware) from her mobile phone when she was told that her employer was able to monitor her off-duty movements, including the speed that she was driving at specific times.  She subsequently sued her employer as shown here:

The suit seeks $500,000 in damages for invasion of privacy, retaliation and unfair business practices.

  

I've said it before and I'll say it again, George Orwell was right.  He was just three decades off on his time estimate.