Humans are motivated by purpose.

So, why is it that our current economic infrastructure is built on survival? And, not purpose?

In 2009, Daniel H. Pink wrote a book on what motivates people to be high performers.

Hint: It’s not money.

After going through over four decades of scientific research, Pink’s book Drive concluded that there are three key elements that make people feel fulfilled in their jobs:

(1) Mastery – Are there opportunities for growth and learning?
(2) Autonomy – Is there freedom and control over their environment?
(3) Purpose – Are they doing something that matters to them?

So, how can we get more people into these types of positions—ones that allow them to master something that contributes to a more purposeful cause?

Well, we’re at a point right now where this idea may soon become a reality. Why?

Because people are losing jobs to automation, and this trend is accelerating—which may not be a bad thing. Most of these jobs are ones that [in robotics] are referred to as “dull and dangerous and dirty.” In short, they are the jobs that people could get, not the jobs that they wanted. They are not the jobs that provide the people doing them, much fulfillment.

With these jobs disappearing, we have a unique opportunity to re-invent the way that our economy is structured. We can do this by shifting our economic priorities away from income-focused jobs, towards fulfillment-focused ones.

Here are some ideas derived from Futurist, Peter Diamandis on what this future of work might look like:

Technological (Un)Employment

Around 30 years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson received a letter written by a group of top scientists and Nobel Laureates, addressing a collective concern that the country was on the verge of tremendous job loss.

Automation was being introduced and the group’s letter focused on the potential loss of jobs in the financial sector. Much of the industry was being staffed by people whose jobs could very easily be replaced by this incoming automation.

The group referred to this looming event as “technological unemployment.”

And, it never actually happened.

In fact, there are more people working in the financial sector now, than ever before.

So why should we be revisiting this subject now?

Well, technology is moving at a faster rate than ever before. People are losing jobs to automation and this is a trend that isn’t slowing down.

The Future of Work

Many may see the loss of jobs as a bad thing, but it actually provides us with a massive opportunity—one that allows us to reimagine the entire economic structure and why we work.

This opportunity could provide us with a future where people take jobs not to pay bills, but to fulfill their purpose in life. Jobs they love. Jobs that are meaningful [to them].

Pink already gave us the ingredients we need to build this workforce. And, with massive innovation across all industries on the horizon, we are building the tools to get there.

Think about why we have jobs today—to pay bills, own a car, a home, and pay for education and healthcare.

What if most of these things become incredibly cheap—even free?

We’re already seeing some of these costs go down in a number of different industries, including:

(1) Autonomous vehicles – The cost of operating a vehicle is expected to drop down to 4x less than it is today. Autonomous vehicles will eventually provide a chauffeur service that even the poorest people will have access to. They will also create opportunities for people to be more flexible about where they live.

For instance, those who prefer to live in more rural areas and don’t need to be in the city for work can choose to move further out (a concept that has turned into reality with the rise of remote work during the pandemic). And when they need to drive into town, the commute can be used to work, nap, meditate, or read. The cars can take care of the rest.

(2) Energy – We are already seeing costs in this sector drop dramatically. Solar energy has proven to be an incredible alternative to many of the more environmentally harmful solutions we’ve used in the past—and, it’s pretty much free. We just need to build the infrastructure to scale it.

A great example can be found in Brazil, where the cost of energy is currently 1.75/kWh. With solar resources in place, this should drop down to effectively net zero within the next decade.

And speaking of warm climates, many of the sunniest countries also happen to be the poorest ones. Having solar power available in excess means that these countries will eventually have access to abundant energy. With that abundant energy will come the ability to access and process water, making clean drinking water abundant.

(3) Education and Healthcare – These will both eventually become free for everyone. From YouTube to online certifications from major institutions, free, or very low-cost education is now accessible to anyone with an internet connection. And telehealth is making access to a doctor easier and less expensive, making healthcare more accessible.

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With these industries using technology to drive down costs to the individual, we should also see a major reduction in the cost of basic needs.

However, people will still have some bills to pay. And with fewer jobs available, we’ll need to figure out how people can cover these bills.

Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos suggested that companies introducing automation like robots, should be taxed. That with the new efficiencies in place, these companies should see an uptick in productivity. With higher productivity, should come higher output – and with higher output, higher revenue.

And, all of this newly generated revenue could be taxed and used to fund programs like universal basic income.

Up-Skilling & Professional Re-Tooling

Universal basic income doesn’t mean that everyone will be living in luxury, but if the programs are structured properly, basic needs should be met. With thier basic needs met, people can use their time to figure out what they would enjoy doing for work.

While this shift is happening, we do need to remember that people will still be facing some very real challenges.

Many people will be losing jobs. They will feel demoralized. Entrepreneurs will be tasked with a huge [and fulfilling] job—to help these people re-discover their passions and create tools to guide them in a new and purposeful direction.

Because, how people find purpose is very important.

Imagine this—you lost your job. You’re feeling like you’re no longer a contribution. You have no purpose. Even though the job you had wasn’t one that you loved, at least it gave you a reason to wake up every morning and go somewhere. Do something.

What if instead of going through this phase of hopelessness, you had a place to turn to where you could—and get trained for—a new job? A job that you love. What if this place allowed you to test out new ideas? Try things you’ve always wanted to try? And eventually get trained and certified in a new occupation that you actually enjoyed doing?

Technology can make this happen.

One technology that immediately comes to mind is virtual reality (VR). VR is becoming hyper-realistic. Take for example, HTC’s new headset—it has built-in 4k resolution (2k per eye) technology. To put that into perspective, brain imaging is about 12k resolution.

Imagery in VR is probably still a few generations away from reaching photo-realism, but it will get there. And when it does, putting on a pair of VR glasses will provide immersive experiences that blur the line between the physical and the virtual worlds in ways we can even begin to imagine.

Because of this, VR will likely be a great way to help people explore different career options and up-skill for new occupations. It can be used to do things like:

(1) Gamify Jobs – People could use VR to try out jobs that they’ve always been interested in.

Then, once they’ve found the job(s) they enjoy, they can continue the learn by playing—performing tasks and gaining skills directly applicable to that job. Once they win the game, they would be qualified to work in that job.

(2) Skills Overlay – People could start going into work locations and doing jobs that they previously knew nothing about. They could use XR (a combination of VR and augmented reality) to guide them through the process of performing specialized tasks in the actual work environemnt.

In this case, humans become the automation.

The idea works two-fold—humans generate income performing tasks while gaining the skills needed to eventually become employable in a new job.

The old model required people to watch one, do one, teach one.
The new model would allow people to do one, do one, learn one, graduate.

AI-Human Collaboration

One skill that people will need to survive in this climate of innovation, is collaboration.
Almost all jobs over the next decade are going to require some level of AI-human collaboration.

For example, in medicine, it will likely be considered malpractice within the next 5-6 years not to use AI to help diagnose a patient.

Why? Because AI will have all of the information needed for a diagnosis, as well as additional information (including thousands of articles written in the last 24 hours). The level of accuracy and access to resources that AI will possess will simply be impossible for human doctors to keep up with.

In law, we will likley see the same thing.

Even in the art world, we’re already witnessing symphonies, scripts, and stories being written by AI.

This technology is only going to become more sophisticated.

In fact, according to predictions made by Ray Kurzweil, AI should reach human-level intelligence sometime in the year 2029.

Within a year of this, AI will surpass human intelligence.

When this happens, AI will be able to interact with humans better than humans can interact with humans.

And, AI will beat humans. At everything.

We’re already seeing this in the gaming arena, where AIs consistently take on humans and win. Games like chess, real estate investing, and the stock market, are all ones that AI has an efficiency, speed, and resource advantage over humans in.

Even though AI will continue winning against humans, it should be through AI-human collaboration that we will see the most extraordinary things emerge. AI alone won’t be able to beat these collaborations.

This is because humans bring to the table something that AI can’t: creativity.
Therefore, AI-human collaborations should prove to be more meaningful than AI alone.


Conclusion

When it comes to innovation and the future of work, Pink has given us the roadmap. Now, it’s time for entrepreneurs, visionaries, and creators to imagine and build it.

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Adapted from Peter Diamandis’ presentation on The Future of Work.