AI continues to automate away low value tasks. Employees need to think about moving up the value chain in order to stay useful to companies and customers.
Grocery stores have two primary types of labor, cashiers, and stockers. If a stocker does a sloppy job, you might notice. If the cashier is rude or makes a mistake, you’ll definitely notice. Is there anything a stocker or cashier can do that drives value? Can either of them help make a sale, upsell you, or bring you back? Not really. Maybe one of the “specialists” such as someone working the deli counter or cheese counter can upsell you slightly, but that’s not going to deliver significant value to the customer or grocery store.
Now consider a bridal gown store. To some degree it’s not that different from the supermarket, in that a consumer is purchasing an item. Obviously, the sales process itself is significantly different. The salesperson will spend significant time helping the client filter the inventory. Additionally, bridal parties don’t simply go shopping, but turn it into an event (e.g., drinks, talking about relationships, wedding plans, trying on gowns and discussing them) and the salesperson plays the part of hostess. In theory, the customer is there for a dress, but the salesperson can greatly impact the experience and store reputation in a positive way.
Supermarket cashiers are getting replaced by automated checkout machines. Stockers will eventually be replaced by robots once they get sophisticated enough and cost effective. While a machine could bring dresses out to a bride-to-be, that’s not likely to happen since the bridal shop salesperson brings value that a machine can’t.
Look at your job. If you’re an office worker you may not be automated by a robot, per se, but consider the tasks you do each day. How many of your tasks can be automated by AI now or in the future?
Future proofing your job requires you to first understand the value you provide. Value creation is on a spectrum from commoditized to premium. Commoditized value is such that the value created by one person is often indistinguishable from the value created by another. Commoditized value, from stocking items in a store to catching inconsistencies in a legal document done by a second-year law firm associate, will eventually get automated away. It’s just a question of when. Premium value, on the other hand, is more open in that it is harder to compare. Three plays may be of the same general plot but the quality of the script, acting, and overall production can vary greatly. Premium value, from a sales process allowing for personal engagement and upselling to crafting legal strategies for a client, will be harder to automate.
To future proof your job you need to understand the value you create. Then look across all the value creation activities in your role and understand what can be commoditized and what is of premium value. The more you can focus your efforts on the latter, the safer your job will be as technology eats away at the lower end commodity value you have created in the past.
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