For almost all time, humanity’s well-being has been determined by how well it does certain things - catch animals for food, grow crops, build ships, forge weapons, etc.
The Industrial Revolution changed the way in which things were done, but it didn’t change that basic formula - the people and the nations that produced more became richer. Technology allowed them to produce more.
The real power of humans was to invent and exploit new technologies - steam power, electricity, the jet engine, the computer.
When automation started to be deployed in factories, it was assumed that humans who ‘did’ but did not think would become redundant from the workforce but the thinkers behind the machines would thrive and prosper.
However, we are now seeing the emergence of machines (AI) that take away this ‘thinking’ advantage.
So, what’s left for humans?
Well if intelligence is no longer required … perhaps only wisdom is left. AI can work out how to do things, but deciding on what things need to be done takes more - it takes ‘wisdom’.
Is this a short-term role while we wait for the machines to reach a state of wisdom? Possibly,but for now the tech bros and their counterparts in smaller organisations can concentrate on analysing the environment (geo-political and local political, financial, social, technological) and work out gaps that need to be filled by new products and services, new technologies, new alliances, new structures and so on.
The wise shall inherit the earth - at least temporarily.
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