All right, welcome to another deep dive.
We're tackling a question that seems to be
on everyone's mind these days,
is AI coming for our jobs?
It's definitely a question we're all thinking about.
Yeah, to help us unpack this,
we're diving into a YouTube video
by AI expert Julie McCoy.
And you know, she's not just talking the talk,
she's actually running a company building AI, so.
Yeah, she's got skin in the game, for sure.
Exactly, she's in the thick of it.
And it's interesting because there is a lot of anxiety
around this topic.
Oh yeah.
People were worried.
But you know, today we're not trying to scare anybody.
For sure.
We just want to make sure people understand
what's happening so they can make, you know,
good choices about their own future.
Absolutely, and McCoy kind of gets right to it,
right off the bat, she mentions that McKinsey study,
I think everyone's heard that stat,
that they 20, 30, 30% of jobs will be automated.
Yeah.
But then she kind of hits you with this like,
oh, and by the way, AI researchers are now saying
full automation is going to happen
a lot sooner than we thought.
Yeah, that was a bit of a wake up call,
I think for a lot of people.
Like researchers were originally thinking,
okay, full automation, not till 2100.
Yeah, way in the future.
Yeah, but based on how quickly AI is actually developing,
it looks like that's going to happen
like 50 to 80 years ahead of schedule.
Wow.
Yeah, that's a pretty massive shift in the timeline.
Yep, it is.
So what does that actually mean?
What are the implications?
McCoy seems especially concerned about white-collar jobs.
Right.
What's making them so vulnerable right now?
I think the two big things are machine learning
and then natural language processing.
So I mean, machine learning is basically
teaching computers how to learn from data,
but without having to program every single little step.
So imagine a computer going through
like tons of financial data
and it can pick out patterns and trends
that maybe a human would miss.
That's like machine learning
and then natural language processing.
That's basically letting AI understand
and even create like human language.
Right, so those chatbots.
Exactly, exactly.
Like those chatbots that can have a conversation
or even AI writing tools that can like write blog posts.
I see where you're going with this
because a lot of those white-collar jobs
are all about that kind of stuff.
Data analysis, writing reports.
I mean, even legal research, you know.
All that stuff.
And McCoy, she uses the example of Ross Intelligence
which uses AI to go through legal documents.
Can you talk a little bit more about how
that kind of technology is actually being used?
What does that mean for say, lawyers?
Yeah, so Ross Intelligence is a really good example.
It's basically like having a ton of paralegals all at once.
Able to go through a huge amount of legal cases,
finding anything that's relevant.
Wow.
Now, that doesn't mean lawyers are gonna be out of a job,
but it definitely changes how they work.
Right.
You know, instead of spending hours and hours
doing research, they can focus more on strategy,
working with their clients
and the really detailed parts of legal arguments.
So it's not about replacing them.
It's more like giving them a tool.
Exactly.
It's like augmenting what they can already do.
Yeah, so it seems like white-collar workers
are kind of feeling that impact right away.
But McCoy also talks about blue-collar jobs
being affected too, just maybe on a slightly longer timeline.
But she makes this really interesting distinction
between AI copying human reasoning versus behavior.
What does she actually mean by that?
And how does it connect to the future of blue-collar jobs?
Yeah, it's a really key difference.
So reasoning is about thinking,
making decisions, solving problems.
Behavior, on the other hand, that's about physical stuff.
Okay.
Like doing things.
And AI is getting so good at reasoning,
which is why we're seeing it take on jobs like finance
and legal research.
So does that mean blue-collar jobs are safe
because they're more physical for now?
Well, not necessarily.
Remember when McCoy mentioned Figure AI?
The company that's making those humanoid robots,
their CEO actually predicts that we're gonna have
something like 10 billion robots by 2040.
10 billion.
Yeah, and these robots are made to copy behavior.
You know, things like walking, grabbing stuff, using tools.
And that's a big deal for jobs that involve physical work,
like manufacturing and construction.
Even things like caring for the elderly.
Yeah, that is a pretty mind-blowing idea.
10 billion robots wandering around.
It is.
I think it really starts to make us question,
you know, what is the future of work going to look like?
Yeah, I think that's a great place to pause for now.
Okay.
We've got a lot more to unpack from McCoy's video,
so we'll be back in just a minute to dive back in.
Sounds good.
10 billion robots.
That's hard to even imagine.
It is.
It really is.
But it seems like what McCoy's getting at is,
it's not that jobs are just gonna vanish.
It's more that how we work, it's gonna be totally different.
Yeah, and that's her big takeaway, right?
The future is gonna belong to the people
who can work with AI, not try to fight against it.
Right, so we need to stop thinking of AI
as like this job stealing monster.
And think of it more as like a powerful tool, you know?
Something that can help us do our jobs better,
maybe even get rid of all that boring, repetitive stuff.
Exactly, and I think that shift in perspective
is so important.
McCoy even gives some examples of how AI is already changing,
different white collar jobs.
And some of them are kind of surprising.
I know, right?
Like she even talks about journalists
and content creators starting to feel the pressure.
Yeah.
You know, I used to be a writer,
and I can see how AI could automate a lot of that.
Oh, it's already happening, the Associated Press,
they've been using AI to like create
those basic news reports.
Oh, really?
Yeah, especially for sports and financial stuff.
And they've been doing it since 2014.
Wow, so it's not just some far off future thing.
No, not at all.
What other fields are seeing this kind of disruption?
Well, McCoy mentioned a few, so in finance,
there's this platform called Kin Show.
And it's basically automating that really
complicit financial analysis.
Okay.
You know, the stuff that used to take
a whole team of people to do.
Right, right.
And then in law, we already talked about Ross Intelligence,
which is changing how lawyers do their research.
It makes you wonder,
what does all of this mean for education?
Like is college even worth it anymore?
If AI can do these jobs faster and cheaper?
Yeah, it's a huge question.
It is.
And what McCoy's getting at is that
the old school way of doing education,
you know, memorizing facts
and just learning one very specific skill,
that's just not gonna cut it anymore.
Right, so it's less about learning what
and more about learning how to learn.
Exactly.
How to adapt, how to keep learning new things
alongside AI instead of trying to, you know, beat it.
Exactly.
And we need to be focusing on developing those skills
that are uniquely human.
The things we talked about earlier,
like emotional intelligence, creativity,
being able to solve really complex problems.
Right, those are the things that will make a standout, right?
In a world where AI can handle the more routine stuff.
Yeah, it's not just about mastering one specific job.
It's more about always learning, being adaptable,
you know, because things are changing so fast.
And those qualities, being adaptable,
being willing to learn new things,
that's gonna help in any career.
Yeah, for sure.
Whether AI is involved or not,
it's really about becoming more well-rounded,
more resilient people.
Okay, so we've talked about white collar jobs,
but McCoy also says that blue collar jobs
won't escape this wave of automation.
Yeah.
And she had that crazy example of figure AI
trying to create 10 billion humanoid robots by 2040.
Imagine robots doing construction, manufacturing,
even taking care of the elderly.
It's a powerful image for sure.
It is.
And I think it shows just how big this change could be.
Yeah.
And it's not about being scared.
It's about understanding what's coming
and figuring out how to adapt.
It's about how humans fit into this new picture.
Right.
And McCoy keeps coming back to that idea
that the future belongs to the people
who can work with AI.
It's about collaboration, not competition.
What if instead of being afraid of automation,
we saw it as a chance to completely redefine work?
Yeah.
What if AI could do all the boring, repetitive stuff?
Mm-hmm.
And that would free us up to focus on things
that we actually enjoy,
things that need human creativity.
That's a future I can get behind.
Like, maybe AI could help us change our values,
move away from just wanting money and stuff,
and focus more on finding a way of life
that's fulfilling and meaningful.
That's a really interesting thought,
and it could definitely happen.
Yeah.
But it all comes down to, like we were saying,
being able to adapt and learn new things.
Right.
To embrace the change instead of fighting against it.
And that's why McCoy's ideas are so important, right?
She's not just predicting the future.
She's actively shaping it.
And her advice, embracing AI, learning new skills,
constantly learning, that's important for everyone,
no matter what you do for a living.
Absolutely.
It goes way beyond just one specific career.
Wow.
This has really been thought-provoking.
Yeah, it has.
We've gone from the very basics of AI,
machine learning, all that,
to how it could change both blue-collar
and white-collar jobs.
It's a lot to take in.
It is, but instead of feeling scared,
I'm actually kind of hopeful,
like maybe these AI revolution, it's not a bad thing.
Right.
Maybe it's a chance to rethink how we think about work.
What it means to have a job,
even what it means to have a purpose.
I think that's a great way to look at it.
Yeah, and I think that's really McCoy's message, right?
It's not about just sitting back
and waiting to see what happens.
It's about getting involved,
helping shape the future along with AI.
Exactly.
So for our listeners,
the people who are feeling inspired, ready to do something,
what are some steps they can take to get ready
for this AI future?
Well, I think the first thing is,
and it sounds simple, but it's huge,
you gotta be willing to keep learning.
Okay.
Stay curious about new tech,
explore different fields,
and be open to learning new skills as things change.
It's like that saying,
the only thing that stays the same is change, right?
Exactly.
And especially with tech, it's moving so fast.
It really is.
So when it comes to AI, where do people even start?
There's so much out there.
It can be overwhelming.
Yeah, for sure.
Just start small.
Okay.
Try some of the AI tools that are already around,
you know, like this chatbot,
language translation apps,
even those AI writing assistants.
Oh yeah, those are cool.
Yeah, you can use them to write email
or even like blog posts.
I like that.
Just get comfortable with the tech
before jumping into the really complicated stuff.
Exactly.
And as you get used to those tools,
you'll see how they can make your life easier.
Yeah.
Make you more productive,
even spark your creativity.
It's all goes back to McCoy's point, right?
The future belongs to those who can work with AI.
It's not us against them.
It's about figuring out how to use AI to do more
and then focusing on the things that make us human,
the things AI can't do.
And that brings us back to that question McCoy asked,
if AI could really take care of all the boring stuff,
how would we define work?
What would purpose even mean?
That's a big one.
It is,
what could we do if we didn't have to work
a traditional job to make a living?
It's tough to say for sure.
Yeah, yeah.
But think about it,
maybe we'd see more people doing art
focusing on community,
really exploring what it means to be human,
connecting with each other.
Wow, that's a pretty amazing future.
It is.
Like AI could help us shift our values,
move away from just money and things.
Yeah, exactly.
And focus more on living a life that has meaning.
And who knows what we could create,
what we could discover
if we weren't tied to that nine to five grind.
This deep dive has been incredible.
It has.
We started out kind of worried like,
oh no, the robots are taking over.
Right.
But now I'm actually feeling pretty good about it.
This could be a really positive thing.
I agree.
And I think that's the best way to think about it.
Yeah.
While all this change might seem scary,
it's also a huge opportunity,
a chance to change what it means to work,
what it means to live,
even what it means to just be human.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
To everyone listening,
we encourage you to stay curious,
stay adaptable,
be a part of shaking the future right alongside AI.
And remember, the future isn't something
that just happens to us.
It's something we create together.
Thanks for joining us on the deep dive.
Keep exploring, keep thinking.
We'll see you next time.