Figuring out how to find work in a world of robots
Fourth Industrial Revolution will see more and more jobs lost to automation
Are the robots coming for our jobs? Will our kids be competing with computers in the labour market of the future? These questions are front of mind around the world at the moment, particularly so in Montreal. The global economy is in the throes of a major transformation dubbed the Fourth Industrial Revolution. With the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, more and more jobs will disappear or be radically altered as automation increasingly replaces human workers. The road-testing of driverless cars, the rollout of DIY checkouts and the rise of online banking foreshadow the demise of some posts like cabbie, truck driver, cashier or teller. But the impact on many other careers is far less clear and subject to much prognostication. Experts from industry, government, academia and the education sector are all trying to come to grips with the future of work, predict the kinds of jobs that will be created or available and ensure people have the skills required to do them. In some respects, Montreal is well positioned for this automated future, emerging as a hub of AI innovation and research. Last week alone the federal government invested more than $6 million in six Montreal AI companies, three U.K.-based AI firms announced plans to expand to here, Université de Montréal launched the Montreal Declaration, calling for responsible and ethical development of AI, and a conference attracted some of the top minds from around the world. This is on top of past investments in AI labs funded by Facebook and Google, and Montreal’s stalwart video-gaming sector. During his passage through Montreal Friday to announce the federal funding, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains noted AI stands to generate more than $15 trillion globally in new economic growth by 2030. In being on the cutting edge, Montreal may help shape these international trends and reap some of the benefits. Still, there are important caveats to make sure Montreal stands to prosper. Speaking last week with Gina Cody, whose name now graces Concordia University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science, she emphasized the need for more women to get into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). “One of my fears is that we are in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. If women don’t get educated in engineering ... they will be left behind,” Cody said. “If women want to make a difference in the board room and contribute to society, they have to get into computer science, they have to get into coding, they have to get into science or engineering.” Similarly, Doina Precup, a McGill University professor and head of Google’s Montreal DeepMinds AI lab, lamented the lack of women in leadership roles. To meet the needs of an emerging economic sector, Quebec’s education system needs to nurture interest in STEM and ensure students have strong skills in maths and sciences. Quebec typically scores high within Canada and internationally on periodic numeracy and literacy comparisons, although there is frequently controversy over the participation rate. But clearly not everyone in Montreal can work in AI or STEM. And even then, there is a debate about what skills will give humans the edge over the robots in the coming revolution. In a recent discussion with the Montreal Gazette editorial board, Bernard Tremblay, the president of Quebec’s Fédération des CEGEPs, noted the increasing importance of the humanities. The reasoning cultivated in philosophy class or the imagination aroused in a literature course cannot be mastered by machines. This will keep arts programs highly relevant. “Never do you see on that list (of future skills needed in the labour market) graduates of the theatre program at CEGEP Lionel Groulx,” Tremblay noted. “However, the graduates of the theatre program at Lionel Groulx are in high demand by, among others, Moment Factory. Because Moment Factory is not looking to technicians who only know how to program; what they’re looking for is creative people.” In other words, how to code or use a program can be taught, but artistic vision must be incubated and inspired. Perhaps the biggest issue for Montreal, is Quebec’s stubborn high school dropout rate. Progress has been made, but the number of males leaving school without graduating has proven particularly impervious. In a future where critical thinking will be ever more important, where even those with high levels of education will be required to adapt to new tasks, and where a return to school to upgrade or acquire new skills will be the norm, those who have already fallen behind risk being left further in the dust.