I’m increasingly surprised by the speed AI is being implemented.

The “buy now, pay later” firm Klarna reported last month that it has an AI doing the work of 700 employees.

And Klarna’s CEO came out swinging when he made the comment that AI “isn’t something that’s going to happen in the future.  It’s something that’s happening now”.

Clearly there will still be jobs for humans, even as AI ramps up further.

But the creeping advance of AI begs the question:

In the rapidly-approaching world where knowledge & technical skill becomes less of a differentiator between one human and another, what will set humans apart?

And how can humans survive & thrive in the world of work?

The answer comes, as it so often does, from history.

Take the Ancient Egyptians for instance.

Ancient Egyptian civilisation began with farming, manual labour and construction.

As Egyptian society advanced, a class of scribes emerged.  These scribes recorded information in order to preserve knowledge.  

Which, in turn, led to a shift towards education, intellectual ideas and specialist jobs.

(yes, I’m summarising a few thousand years of Egyptian history in a couple of sentences.  But I’m trying to give a zippy thumbnail sketch here, not write an archaeological study for the British Museum)

Then there was another shift.

As Egyptian society grew more stable, resources became more abundant and knowledge become democratised, the Egyptians moved in a new direction.

A new group of Egyptian philosophers & scholars started to ponder deeper, more existential questions and look for meaning beyond their material existence.

It was these philosophers & scholars who held positions of influence and prestige. They were consulted by their rulers, they shaped policies & decisions and they became revered figures in society.

Some of their philosophical inquiries and reflections were also documented and came to be known as The Wisdom Literature of ancient Egypt.

And herein lies my prediction: 

In a world where technical skill & knowledge will no longer have the value they used to, wisdom is what will allow humans to survive and thrive at work.

Just like the Egyptians moved from labour to scribes then philosophers, we’ll move from factory workers to knowledge workers to a world in which “corporate philosophers” who can access and use the power of wisdom will be the ones calling the shots.

In case anyone thinks otherwise:

By “wisdom” I don't mean “IQ”.

Wisdom and IQ could not be further apart.

It is categorically not the people who can create snazzy financial models, solve partial differential equations or complete a Rubik’s Cube in 60 seconds who will thrive in a world where AI can do all this in the time it takes to click my fingers.

That much should be clear.

I mean the wisdom which helps guide us to make decisions, gives us clarity when we don’t know which way to turn and answers questions which spreadsheets, robots and computers will never be able to answer.

This wisdom comes from the deepest part of what it means to be human.

And in a world where AI will do most of the heavy-lifting, I predict this wisdom is what will set humans apart.

Those who possess this wisdom will, I believe, have a huge advantage in their working lives for many years to come.  Just like the Egyptian philosophers & scholars who held the positions of influence and prestige.

Good news is, finding wisdom can be taught and learnt.  

Frankly, I believe wisdom is so potentially valuable that I almost think half-pint Rishi’s fervent desire to have all British school-kids being taught maths until they can recite Principia Mathematica standing on their heads should simply be replaced with lessons in wisdom.  

More chance of hell freezing over I suppose.  

But that’s by the by.

Wisdom can also be coached.

It’s a key pillar of my own coaching.

But admittedly wisdom is an esoteric topic.  I'm not pretending otherwise.

So if the thought of considering ideas you’ve never considered before fills you with disdain or your general attitude is to only do things which your partner or your friends will understand & approve of, then probably best to give my coaching a swerve.

On the other hand:

If you can see the value in finding wisdom for yourself, you might like to read more about what my coaching involves.

Here’s where to go if so:

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com

 - Tom