Humility Is The New Smart summary

Introduction

Humility is the New Smart by Edward D. Hess and Catherine Ludwig. Humility and collaboration are key to human success in the smart machine age. What will the future of work look like?

Imagine a factory floor, call center, or real estate office in the year 2100. Transformative technologies like flying cars may sound cool. Yet, changes to the working world will be even more momentous. How can humans prepare for a world dominated by smart technology?

As artificial intelligence advances, human roles in the workplace must adapt. Without adaptation, traditional career paths risk becoming outdated. The key lies in humility, interpersonal skills, and collaboration. It also means leveraging the creativity that sets us apart from machines.

smart machine age dawning

Smart Machine Age Dawning Technological advancements of the new millennium will require humans to work and behave differently. The third millennium is still young. Yet, we are quickly approaching a defining era known as the smart machine age, or SMA. This term describes a time when machines become increasingly capable.

They will perform complex tasks and non-routine work. These are jobs that once required human labor. As the SMA dawns, robotics and artificial intelligence will expand rapidly. Nanotechnology and genetic engineering will also come to dominate.

They will affect both the professional and personal lives of humans. As machines grow more sophisticated, they will handle more manual and cognitive tasks. This change will happen both inside and outside the workplace. What does this mean for humans?

For lawyers, journalists, teachers, or accountants, job responsibilities will shift significantly. Many tasks may be automated by intelligent systems in the future. A 2013 study by Oxford University researchers noted a high likelihood. As many as 47% of US jobs could undergo technological replacement.

This transition could unfold within the next two decades. So human success in the SMA depends on a whole new approach. We must become new smart in our work. We cannot compete with machines in processing and retaining huge amounts of information.

Our option is to complement machines by doing work they cannot perform. This includes critical thinking, emotional engagement, and creative practices. However, society is hyper-focused on competition, aggression, and individual success. We are often too self-involved and fixed in our beliefs.

This mindset prevents us from adopting essential skills. This impedes our overall professional progress. We will excel when we learn to collaborate effectively. Collaboration enables greater critical thinking, emotional engagement, and creativity.

Unwillingness to work together does not mean humanity cannot adapt. There is a way to acquire skills that help you transcend current limitations. In the next chapters, you will learn all about them.