Labore Ad Infinitum: AI & Automation vs Timeless Tasks

Luddites, LOL…

It seems universally accepted that machine learning and robotics will change the way we live and work. Many see drones, self-driving cars, chatbots, and the like as heralding the rise of the long-awaited Jetsons lifestyle. As much as I love learning and talking about the new, I find it just as interesting to consider the timeless. Again and again, I find myself thinking about the tasks that will endure automation, even in the face of general artificial superintelligence. Although all industries are likely to see some encroachment from machine labor, and many will be entirely replaced, some will retain roles for humans — however few. Here’s a running list of those jobs:

• Military/Peacekeeper — The opening move in any modern conflict would undoubtedly involve attacking infrastructure, including power supplies and military computer systems. Unless countermeasures are developed, a human force would unfortunately be a necessary fallback.
• Athletes— Drone races, robot battles, and eSports are entertaining, but we won't see robots replacing professional athletes. We value sports stars precisely because they are just like us (except faster, taller, stronger, and more endurant).
• Therapist — Some studies show that patients are just as (if not more) open to psychotherapeutic conversations with chatbots; however, there are categories of therapy that individuals will prefer human practitioners. There is value in knowing that the person across from you is having a human-conscious experience. In some cases, knowing that a human is listening is all a patient might really need — an easily imagined scenario in an age of bots.
• Musical Performer — Similar to above, people want to know that the conductor and musicians are experiencing and reacting to the same performance as they are.
• Actors and Dancers — We admire method actors because they dive into character, psychologically (think Daniel Day-Lewis, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger). The more a performer feels the character’s pain and joy, the greater the catharsis. AI sentience may provide interesting performances, perhaps pushing us to see machines or ourselves differently, but they’re not a complete substitute for human performers.
• Visual Artists — Like performers, visual art done by a person has added value because it offers a window into the creator’s inner world. We will always pay a premium for that glimpse.
• Religious/Spiritual Leaders — Expect in some fringe cases, we will demand that our gateway/medium to the eternal shares in our mortality.
• The World’s Oldest Profession — It just might end up being the world’s last profession.
• Virtual Goods — People pay nontrivial amounts of money for goods in games like World of Warcraft and EVE Online. These game makers have an incentive to keep bots out of the game, to prevent the online markets from being flooded with bot-mined products. If bots are permitted in the games, the goods’ values plummet to zero, disincentivizing people from earning the goods through gameplay.
• Politicians — Although machine intelligence may vastly outperform human intellect, we will not want them making major decisions about civil liberties, war, and other matters of state. We’ll be much more comfortable having automated advisors while leaving final approval to the flesh and blood politicians.
• Judges — Much like politicians, we won't want legal cases that determine civil rights decided by algorithms.
• Parenting—Knowing you were raised by machines would surely have psychological side effects, even if the advice and care were identical.