Issue #13: The best free courses on the future of work
Hello there!
Building new skills from reliable sources is one of the most important actions you can take to become automation-proof. I’ve been taking courses on edX.com for years, and I’m fairly impressed by the massive open online courses (MOOCs) available on the platform. You can get access short lectures by top professors and scientific readings.
In this issue, I’ve listed the courses I found most useful to understand the future of work. Leave a comment to let me know what you think of the selection and if you like taking online courses.
Best,
Alice
Headlines you shouldn’t miss
TIME MAGAZINE How Technology Can Help Foster Inclusivity and Productivity at Work: Vimeo’s CEO, Anjali Sud, believes that modern video and conferencing tools enable better information access for workers. Regardless of their location or the hours worked, video materials, pitches, documents, and presentations can be accessed from anywhere at any time. This helps people to engage with their work even if they have private duties like care work.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION Digital labour platforms offer young refugees a possible route to decent work: A new ILO report suggests that digital platforms can help refugees in Africa to earn money online. As they often struggle on domestic markets, refugees can offer services on freelance platforms. However, the ILO notes that poor connectivity, fragile labour rights, lack of suitable hardware, and digital payment methods pose great challenges.
BLOOMBERG Driverless Cars Are Proving to Be Job Creators, At Least So Far: Predictions about job losses related to autonomous vehicles peaked in recent years, but the automotive industry proves that it will create a series of new jobs. Remote assistants, car fleet service technicians, map data collectors, and safety drivers might be among the newest job titles to emerge in the autonomous vehicle era.
THE CONVERSATION Robots are coming for the lawyers – which may be bad for tomorrow’s attorneys but great for anyone in need of cheap legal assistance: Partial automation of a lawyer’s task might be just around the corner. Modern machine learning can perform more tasks than experts predicted. While not all aspects of a lawyer’s profession can be automated, partial automation could already cut costs for legal assistance.
BUSINESS INSIDER The restaurants of the future will be more expensive and full of robots. Here's why that's a good thing: Labor shortage in the wake of Covid lockdowns paired with automation is transforming the restaurant industry. Restaurants are likely to raise salaries to attract more workers, and chains might invest in cooking robots to perform routine tasks like making sandwiches, burgers, or salads. Restaurant automation could guarantee the same quality of products with every preparation and allow workers to focus on better customer service.
MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW A new generation of AI-powered robots is taking over warehouses: Modern robots can perform a vast array of tasks. A recent study shows that this will foster massive disruptions in warehouses and the logistics sector. Mid-level jobs are likely to be displaced in favor of high-skilled jobs related to robot maintenance and low-skilled jobs. However, experts believe that companies shouldn’t try to stop progress and risk their competitiveness in the long term but focus on reskilling workers.
AXIOS Robots are the new farmhands: Automation in agriculture can displace many farmworkers, but it could be the solution to meet the growing demand of a growing global population. Additionally, with shrinking populations in many Western countries, automation could help increase food security and adjust farming strategies according to weather and other volatile factors.
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY Territorium's AI Tool Advises Students on Job Skills: Ed-tech company Territorium has developed an AI-driven tool that assesses students’ academic performance, co-curricular activities, and other data and compares it to requirements in job openings. Contrasting a student's performance data and the market demand, the platform TerritoriumCLR can advise further skill acquirement.
HANDELSBLATT The German Federal Bank Uses Artificial Intelligence to Spot Credit Risks: The German Federal Bank invests in AI to spot credit risks. AI is supposed to read and understand annual reports that can reach a length of 1400 pages and indicate if there is suspicious data. Additionally, AI is supposed to analyze insolvency figures and provide an overview of the current macroeconomic situation.
Quote of the week: Lorena Jaume-Palasí on unscientific use of AI
Lorena Jaume-Palasí consults the Spanish government and the European Union on the use of Artificial Intelligence. In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Neue Züricher Zeitung (German), the scholar explains the shortcomings of AI systems. She asks decision-makers to be mindful of poor training data for AI systems leading to bias and the complexity of human behavior. She illustrates how AI systems can lead to wrong conclusions when applied to recruiting:
“There is software that promises to detect how people are feeling or whether they are telling the truth based on a video or audio recording. Such programs are already being used in recruiting, including by the EU. But it is not at all clear what happens mentally when a decision is made. Yet that would be the prerequisite if you want to build systems that are supposed to decide whether someone is lying. But that would mean turning away from classic constitutional and democratic principles - we are responsible for actions, thoughts are free.”
Recommendation of the week: The best edX courses on the future of work
I’m a huge fan of the learning platform edX. It’s a great place to learn basics on new topics, extend your knowledge and get certifications for your professional life.
The concept is simple: You take video courses and can test your knowledge on multiple-choice tests. If you want to receive a certificate, you have to complete a final exam, which is as well multiple-choice test. The following courses can help you understand the future of work better: Shaping Work of the Future teaches classic economics, Data Ethics, AI and Responsible Innovation is more IT and data-heavy and Mind and Machines is rather philosophical.
Tweet of the week: AI visionary Kai-Fu Lee asks where the talents of the future will emerge
AI expert Kai-Fu Lee never fails to ask important questions related to the effect of tech on everyday lives. In his new book “AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future” he discusses the role of automation in entry jobs. He argues that this might change the future of career building with entry jobs disappearing.