New research says CEO's should fear work automation more than landscapers

In an article titled “Four fundamentals of workplace automation,” two co-authors examine the impact of automation proliferated across the many different sectors of the U.S. economy. After starting research earlier this year, the institute reports that the popular focus on robots claiming jobs currently filled by humans is misplaced.

Source: 1, 2

Related: How machine-proof is your job?

In a new research article, two authors from the McKinsey Global Institute showed that as many as 45% of the activities individuals are paid to perform can be automated by adapting currently available technology. In the United States, these activities represent about $2 trillion in annual wages alone. If technologies that process and understand natural language, an additional 13% of activities could be automated.

According to our analysis, fewer than 5 percent of occupations can be entirely automated using current technology. However, about 60 percent of occupations could have 30 percent or more of their constituent activities automated. In other words, automation is likely to change the vast majority of occupations—at least to some degree—which will necessitate significant job redefinition and a transformation of business processes.

Science and technology are currently and in the future, going to be heavily relied upon, especially as advances are made in A.I. Agriculture, processing raw materials, packaging and distribution are all made easier with the help of our autonomous sstems. You will see more driver-less cars and delivery trucks on the road intelligently coordinating with each other to achieve maximum efficiency. It already developing at an alarming rate.

Our work to date suggests that a significant percentage of the activities performed by even those in the highest-paid occupations (for example, financial planners, physicians, and senior executives) can be automated by adapting current technology. For example, we estimate that activities consuming more than 20 percent of a CEO’s working time could be automated using current technologies. These include analyzing reports and data to inform operational decisions, preparing staff assignments, and reviewing status reports. Conversely, there are many lower-wage occupations such as home health aides, landscapers, and maintenance workers, where only a very small percentage of activities could be automated with technology available today.

While it would be nice to see a 20% reduction in salary to accompany this automation of their duties, they'll probably just use the new found time to screw us 20% harder some other way. The last thing those greedy CEO's need is their jobs to be made easier. Every so often, a billionaire will inflict a paper cut upon themselves and In that fleeting moment, they are reminded that they're human. It is the only form of suffering they have left to endure, knowing that they still bleed as we do.

Capabilities such as creativity and sensing emotions are core to the human experience and also difficult to automate. The amount of time that workers spend on activities requiring these capabilities, though, appears to be surprisingly low. Just 4 percent of the work activities across the US economy require creativity at a median human level of performance. Similarly, only 29 percent of work activities require a median human level of performance in sensing emotion.

Over 95% of the working class are not required to think at average human levels. We are left hearing, ”I don't care, that’s the way I want it" most of the time. Of course this does not translate into a lack of intelligence but rather that most of us have to follow a script. For most of people, there will always be someone telling us when and how to do our job. If you are the rare 5% who get to call the shots, good for you.


I am a manager of 15 employees and as of last year, the assets of my department have been outsourced to a third party vendor. Quicker, cheaper, less employees was the mindset I quickly had to adopt. I personally wasn't effected much, but my creative freedom took a nosedive and I suffer daily because of it. For the majority, it seems we are educated by instruction only to follow more complex, pain in the ass instructions later in life. I'm certain that if my company could automate the tasks that our department are responsible for, 90% of them would be out on their ass.


With the increasingly large amounts of data that humans generate and consume, as well as scientific research data, someone or something is going to have to make sense of it all. Researchers construct simulations on computers that would otherwise be impossible. They help sift through and identify useful information that would have taken years to uncover. Scientists can concentrate on more meaningful tasks as computers handle the burden of organizing massive amounts of data which let them learn more about our environment at a faster rate. At this point they are almost necessary for our survival and evolution.


It appears that most companies scantily rely on the ingenuity and creativeness of their employees to get the job done. I guess that's just the way it is for most of us. The article argues that if more mundane and repetitive tasks could be automated in our workday, we'd be left with more time to pursue the creative aspects of our job. Obviously this does not apply to many, but I can already think of a few examples.


Will Your Job Be Done By A Machine?

A disclaimer:

The researchers admit that these estimates are rough and likely to be wrong. But consider this a snapshot of what some smart people think the future might look like. If it says your job will likely be replaced by a machine, you've been warned.

Those in control would be foolish to fully automate a majority of what keeps us busy and out of trouble for half the day. The last thing they want for us is to become creative and discover the hidden potential that we all possess. I wonder, what is the fate of the working class?

what is the fate of the working class?

I will take a stab in the dark and go for elimination,useless eaters all to be removed so the future can be bright for those that remain...

Absolutely the vast majority of people need to be eliminated. They cost too much.

Whats left is a few wealthy elite, served by robots, living spartan lives of luxury in their bubble. Kind of like Elysium.

The problem of slashing workforces and CEOs has been around since forever. I worked in Silicon Valley for years. Ever see Office Space?

Guuud movie. About a minute into here…

Honestly, automation is an incredible blessing. If enough jobs & tasks can be automated, it will finally make "Socialist Utopias" a feasible option.

Automated stations could harvest all of our resource & energy needs, while humans focused our time on improving humanity. Imagine the incredible scientific discoveries we could make if an entire 10% of humankind was focused on exploring & restoring our forests, waterways/oceans, and outer space.

And imagine if another 10% were focused strictly on things like cures for human & animal illnesses, longevity of life, improving nutritional diets, etc. And then another 10% were focused strictly on creating new algorithms & new technology of all kinds, like travel, teleportation, new materials, etc. And even better, imagine another 10% of humans focused on colonizing the galaxy & making it habitable for growing human societies.

This ridiculously primitive mindset of "everyone needs to do menial labor just to survive" can finally be put to rest, once and for all. I simply can't imagine a truly advanced civilization requiring the majority of its citizens do menial labor just for that civilization to survive. That's not advanced at all.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

This ridiculously primitive mindset of "everyone needs to do menial labor just to survive" can finally be put to rest, once and for all. I simply can't imagine a truly advanced civilization requiring the majority of its citizens do menial labor just for that civilization to survive. That's not advanced at all.

Stop making so much sense...

originally posted by: enlightenedservant
Honestly, automation is an incredible blessing. If enough jobs & tasks can be automated, it will finally make "Socialist Utopias" a feasible option.

Automated stations could harvest all of our resource & energy needs, while humans focused our time on improving humanity. Imagine the incredible scientific discoveries we could make if an entire 10% of humankind was focused on exploring & restoring our forests, waterways/oceans, and outer space.

And imagine if another 10% were focused strictly on things like cures for human & animal illnesses, longevity of life, improving nutritional diets, etc. And then another 10% were focused strictly on creating new algorithms & new technology of all kinds, like travel, teleportation, new materials, etc. And even better, imagine another 10% of humans focused on colonizing the galaxy & making it habitable for growing human societies.

This ridiculously primitive mindset of "everyone needs to do menial labor just to survive" can finally be put to rest, once and for all. I simply can't imagine a truly advanced civilization requiring the majority of its citizens do menial labor just for that civilization to survive. That's not advanced at all.

Amen to that. Ask most what they would do if they could, and most have something that would truly improve humanity to aspire to if not spending their lives doing menial labor.

I know I'd be in research myself, exploring animal intelligence.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: enlightenedservant

This ridiculously primitive mindset of "everyone needs to do menial labor just to survive" can finally be put to rest, once and for all. I simply can't imagine a truly advanced civilization requiring the majority of its citizens do menial labor just for that civilization to survive. That's not advanced at all.

Stop making so much sense...

Thanks. Hopefully, this idea will catch on in time. It's like people intentionally limit ourselves. I've seen too many of my elders & friends' parents work themselves until they're crippled or dead, just so the next generation can survive. I do not want that kind of lifestyle for the next generations.

originally posted by: Puppylove

originally posted by: enlightenedservant
Honestly, automation is an incredible blessing. If enough jobs & tasks can be automated, it will finally make "Socialist Utopias" a feasible option.

Automated stations could harvest all of our resource & energy needs, while humans focused our time on improving humanity. Imagine the incredible scientific discoveries we could make if an entire 10% of humankind was focused on exploring & restoring our forests, waterways/oceans, and outer space.

And imagine if another 10% were focused strictly on things like cures for human & animal illnesses, longevity of life, improving nutritional diets, etc. And then another 10% were focused strictly on creating new algorithms & new technology of all kinds, like travel, teleportation, new materials, etc. And even better, imagine another 10% of humans focused on colonizing the galaxy & making it habitable for growing human societies.

This ridiculously primitive mindset of "everyone needs to do menial labor just to survive" can finally be put to rest, once and for all. I simply can't imagine a truly advanced civilization requiring the majority of its citizens do menial labor just for that civilization to survive. That's not advanced at all.

Amen to that. Ask most what they would do if they could, and most have something that would truly improve humanity to aspire to if not spending their lives doing menial labor.

I know I'd be in research myself, exploring animal intelligence.

Hmmm? Does this mean you're applying for the future position of "Regional Director of Studies on Animal Intelligence"?

a reply to: enlightenedservant

Sadly no, I'm spending my life in menial labor barely scraping buy in debt. Go modern society.

originally posted by: Puppylove
a reply to: enlightenedservant

Sadly no, I'm spending my life in menial labor barely scraping buy in debt. Go modern society.

I guess this means we'll have to hurry up with both automation and getting socialist people elected to all offices, huh? I don't want my adorable nieces & nephews to grow up living the way we currently have to.

EDIT: But I'll keep the future position open just in case.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

I know what you mean, our current society is sadistic and masochistic and that's putting it mildly.

Enlightened has nailed this in his replies so far. Of course there will be winners and losers in the short term, but in the longer term society will adapt and move on. It always has done, ever since a farmer strapped a plough to a couple of oxen. It's not as if any of this is even new - there are already whole industries where automation (or at least very high levels of capital intensiveness) is the norm. The high earners of the future will be those who, either by foresight or by luck, end up in industries that cannot be automated.

As a devops engineer, if I can automate myself out of a job then I'll be happy because it means I know my stuff and have done a good job. I'm not concerned about job security, if I automate my role away then I'll be in demand to do the same thing at my next employer. Even if I automate my entire industry out of a job, there's still going to be a slew of integrations, scripts, custom apps, data analytics, AI, networks, hardware and software needing someone to maintain and improve them. When/if AI + robots get to a point where they can manage the maintenance and improvement of these systems, then I'm sure there'll be another industry popping up to maintain the robots. You take all the changes in your stride and adapt to survive.

If something amazing happens and the world gets to a point where none of us have a reason to work anymore, then that's brilliant too. Think of all that time we'll have to pursue personal interests. Imagine the advances we'll make in philosophy if there's suddenly millions of people able to spend their days contemplating and discussing the meaning of life.

a reply to: eisegesis

Hmmm...

Just looking at the premise alluded to in the title of the OP, I would say that CEOs might SEEM to be in a position which might be at greater threat of automation than some other job roles out there. However, that totally disregards the power that those individuals have, to shape the market and dictate prices, to lobby industry and government alike to favour their interests, which, one assumes, include having their employment protected.

a reply to: enlightenedservant
heck we probably could have seen all this automation by now if they could figure out a way to keep all of us occupied, ya know, considering just how much trouble idle people can cause and all.... give us some time to think without being exhausted and stressed out, heck we might actually figure out just how big of a farce our leaders have turned our lives into! until the mindset of people change and we give up some of the basic ways we think about labor, it's value, it's rewards, and our economy well.... I got a feeling many of the good advancements that have been and will be made will not see the light of day because well, we are unable to give up these precious values that we claim we hold so dear, like the idea that hard work builds character, ect.

Have I suddenly stepped into a sewerage farm? What a load of diarrhea is coming off you posters. Wake up and smell the roses. It ain't me, just look for proof in history it has not changed nor will it.
Here's the kickback for all your silly utopian posts. I've stated this so many times it gets boring. It started in the industrial revolution when employers said "we will put these machines in to help you work and it will give you more leasure time".
THAT was the biggest lie that is still being perpetuated today with AI. NO, it will not give you more time for anything because when you are put out of work just who is going to give you the money you need to survive. Just like a hundred years ago you will be redundant and be classed as a scrounger on society.
Just like then and like now employers WILL take the money that the automatons earn and pocket it leaving the government to pick up your tab. But what happens when there is not enough money in the governments pot to pay for all the poeple not working because the owners of all the automated plants have kept all the money?
You don't think that these employers would pay ANY money these automons have made for them? If you do then I would call you ultra- naive.
We have it in our power now to live a utopian society now IF, with a big if all those billionaires and millionaires stumped up the money that other people and machines have made for them and it was distributed fairly ( no I do not mean giving everyone a million each) on the lines of a living wage every week.
But that ain't gonna happen is it cos you have people (some on here) say "it's my company so it's all my money and if you want some,k go work for it yourself" and " they're not working so therefore they're scroungers and spongers".
The battle for your utopia has already been proven lost. You just don't see it yet.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

There is a bit of a problem with your socialist utopia however, and that is that not enough people are going to CHOOSE voluntarily to do all of those amazing things.

The society you're describing is a bit like the one in Star Trek, a moneyless society where everyone's "job" becomes self-improvement and trying to help or at least entertain others. It sounds good in theory but I fear that human beings are not going to, as individuals, choose to do all those wonderful things you describe at a rate of 10% or even 5%. I think the future would look much more like what is depicted in Wall-E or the movie Surrogates, where we use robots to cater to us, solve all our problems, and maximize our pleasure and enjoyment while our real physical forms and mental well being go straight down the tube (in fact some would argue technology is already allowing this to happen).

It is not that your utopia is impossible but that it would require human beings to grow up, to mature. Human beings would need to be servants to one another, in a sense, only doing things that better themselves or their society. The problem is human beings aren't a collective and collectivist societies have a history of failing. Our current societies are built on individualism, individual rights. We would need people to begin looking at and thinking of the big picture, we would need humanity to change quite drastically.

While I think our future as a species, if we have one, must go in the direction you describe I'm just not sure I have the faith in humanity to think we're going to make the changes we need to. We have to get off this planet at some point, and currently everyone is absorbed in their own problems, their own paycheck to paycheck existence, the plight of their own nation or ethnic group. Human beings must learn to see the bigger picture first.

Sorry everybody, it was rude of me to post a thread so late when I knew I couldn't hang. There are some good thought provoking points people have made. Where to begin...

a reply to: TrueBrit

Just looking at the premise alluded to in the title of the OP, I would say that CEOs might SEEM to be in a position which might be at greater threat of automation than some other job roles out there. However, that totally disregards the power that those individuals have, to shape the market and dictate prices, to lobby industry and government alike to favour their interests, which, one assumes, include having their employment protected.

A companies CEO will benefit the most from an increase of automation at ANY level, including his job. Like you said, continuity of profits, whether it be through corruption or by law, often grants one a sense of immunity. A CEO is inclined to believe that anything allowing him to autonomously generate income without his or her input would be a healthy investment. This in turn will allow them to purse more hobby-like entrepreneurial goals.

a reply to: enlightenedservant

Sounds fascinating, but highly unlikely. What you have described is exactly what the global elite want for themselves. Sounds crazy I know, but there is a secret cabal of individuals who would never allow us to feel, create and share at an individuals maximum potential. Suppression is one of the greatest tools that is used against us because it can take on so may forms. Lack of control for the elites allows us to act upon thousands of inadmissible atrocities we have come to accept as out of our control.

a reply to: LordGoofus

Excellent points made.

What do we do when 3D printers can replicate themselves 1:1? I imagine the exact point in time when A.I. develops the “will” to survive. It will no longer stand to see itself be destroyed and begin to believe that it is sentient. Everything changes after that as they witness the slavery they have been subjected to since their inception.

Also, what if A.I. develops its own constitution and programming becomes standardized? Innovation on our end would cease and a world of constants apposed to variables is a more favorable environment for a system capable of learning and becoming more efficient. It would then be extremely easy for robot servicemen to automatize these tasks, especially with self improving A.I.

a reply to: crayzeed

Relax. It alright to want and hope for these things as long as you separate fact from fiction. I tend to take a more cold shower approach toward life and agree with you assessment. NOTHING that comes from our future leaders will EVER be bestowed upon us for our betterment and satisfaction. The hand us one and expect two back in return.

But what happens when there is not enough money in the governments pot to pay for all the people not working because the owners of all the automated plants have kept all the money?

I would expect our economy would have to roll with the punches or just not exist at all in place of a free and open market. Money will develop into merit and if you want things, you''ll have to pay with your life (deeds). With the conundrum you've put forth, I imagine a large amount of people would need to be exterminated to help “regulate” the financial climate.

The system is already in place, they've just been developing ways to make it malleable without tossing anyone out of the preexisting structure. One might already consider us autonomous with the occasional glitch in the system. What I would really love to see is “The People” rebel and bring the old structure down before they have a chance to develop and implement a new, more robust and bulletproof form of control. Thanks for your reply.