Tech Anxiety: Overcoming Your Fear of AI & Automation

From Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" in 1927 to the titanic "Terminator" franchise of present day, popular culture has reflected an unwavering fear of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation for decades. While the entertainment industry may have drawn inspiration from public anxiety over the past century, the broader reasons for aversion to digital evolution have changed. At the present, the more common fear of AI stems from concerns about displacement and annihilation of job roles across industries, as intelligent, AI-related technologies like process automation and digital content services continue to evolve and eliminate manual tasks that were once managed by human hands and minds. While this digital evolution may mean the end of certain roles in the future of work, for most it will more likely mean a simultaneous evolution of skills and responsibilities in human-based occupations. Forecasts indicate that all jobs will be impacted by AI and automation technologies in the future, but that doesn't mean those jobs will be replaced.