Want to beat the robots? Increasingly, open workplace communication will be a vital tool for knowledge workers hoping to fight off the rise of automation, communications expert Euan Semple says. Speaking to BlueNotes on video, author and speaker Semple said as technology eats away at procedural workplace roles, workers can fight back by thinking better and sharing faster than machines. Semple said in large organisations, the higher people climb the greater the pressure on them to conform: "I'm always amazed at how difficult it is for senior people to say what they think and stick it out there." "Honesty is going to matter more and more because, let's face it, artificial intelligence and automation is increasingly effective," he said. "Your average white-collar knowledge worker is going to have to find other ways to add value over the next five to 10 years."