Could the current Covid19 crisis be playing a role in preparing us for an increasingly computerized, AI run world?“

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here and its applications are growing. Jobs currently being done by people will be done by bots. This begs the questions: What will we do then? How will we make our livings? What can we do to ‘robot-proof’ ourselves and our children?

I was recently introduced to Dr Vivienne Ming and her work. Wow! Talk about inspired. She epitomizes the idea that genius emerges when what we’re doing is aligned with our highest values and we’re focused on solving the biggest problems for the greatest number of people! 

Obsessed with the question of how to maximize human potential, she is a neuroscientist who builds phenomenal AI apps to do just that. In the process she recognizes that she is playing a role in changing the way we do things (work, earn money, learn etc) in a big way. This scares a lot of people, but (of course) it is also creating many opportunities to do things differently.

“Being robot-proof means being all the more human” Dr Vivienne Ming 

Here’s the piece I really want to share: when talking about the future she says: “the only job of the future is the creative, adaptive problem-solver.” In her research to identify what determines who will be successful in life she found 5 skills to be “causally related to life outcomes”. They are Self-regulated learning, EQ, Creativity, General Cognitive skills and Social Skills. Yup, the so-called ‘soft skills’. She says: “Being robot-proof means being all the more human.” 

I my morning meditation I was exploring all the benefits of the Corona virus. I was thinking about all the social connections that are happening, and how much I have seen of people asking for guidance on managing anxiety, thinking creatively about different ways of making money, home schooling their kids and staying sane when they are feeling trapped. And, of course, I’ve seen the kidding-not-kidding videos of couples dealing with having to actually spend lots of time in each other’s company …… What are people engaging in and looking for information on: Self-regulated learning (how to stay focused), EQ, Creativity, General Cognitive skills and Social Skills!

To bring this back to AI and an increasingly computerized world, could it be that the Corona virus is exactly what we have needed to evolve our collective consciousness towards mastering (or at least valuing) the ‘soft’ skills that will enable us to thrive in the future?