Unlocking creativity
“One of the dominant truths of the 21st century is that almost anything you can imagine being done by a machine will be done by a machine. And what that leaves us is the creative space.”
-Andrew Zolli, Author & Futurist
Automation will change the nature of our jobs. While many jobs will be eliminated, automation and intelligence will also help us focus our attention on what matters most, create new forms of value and allow human creativity to flourish.
Fears about information overload are being realized; we’re dependent on the very systems that overwhelm us. That can hurt our own creative processes if we let it. The challenge is being mindful to focus our attention, and to learn how to filter and put information into context. As we have always done, we will need to augment ourselves to deal with these new challenges.
As routine tasks are automated away, the future workplace will require people to bring their whole humanity to the job – empathy, imagination, curiosity and vulnerability – rather than just a checklist of skills based on a narrow job description. We need to remove barriers and help facilitate individuals’ creative flow across different types of work, devices and spaces.
