Will coaching survive the age of automation?
Did you know that copywriting is predicted by many experts to be a dying trade? That it’s predicted that in the not too distant future computer programs will write copy instead of humans and that the copy written by those programs will convert better than what humans are writing now?
And that’s not the only writing job. Apparently journalists are set to become a rare breed with as many as 12,000 reports already being written by Artificial Intelligence software every year according to a report in the Verge.
Of course, these are just a number of the many careers that are at risk of being no longer required thanks to AI, robotics and automation. Accountants and lawyers could soon find themselves out of work, with AI programs already proving more than capable with at least the basics of these professions. It’s predicted that a lot of jobs in the finance sector could be human free in the coming decades as well.
So what does that mean for the profession of coaching/consulting?
Well some consulting careers could be over. If AI can write better copy than a copywriter, it stands to reason that in the not too distant future it could also give better marketing advice. Software doesn’t sleep, it doesn’t take its eye of the ball. It can do multiple things at once and more accurately than humans can.
It’s entirely probable that AI will be able to track the results of your client’s marketing and then make adjustments in real time. It will eventually be able to spot trends and respond to those trends faster than a human marketing consultant can. So if you’re a marketing consultant you’re probably safe for now, but don’t get too comfortable. Change is coming and when it happens it will happen fast.
Change brings opportunities
It is possible however, that the changing face of the workforce will bring with it additional opportunities. Let’s consider one such opportunity, by first casting our minds forward to the workforce of the future.
It’s predicted that the majority of manufacturing jobs will be automated in the near future. Autonomous vehicles will also spell the end of many non-skilled driving jobs putting many truck drivers and taxi drivers out of work. Even retail positions, sales and the humble supermarket shelf stackers will no longer have a job.
Now as these traditional jobs disappear, new jobs will appear, but it is unlikely that there will be enough new opportunities to keep everyone employed. Governments then need to consider what to do about all those unemployed people.
One idea that’s been floated and has been gaining some traction is the idea of paying everyone a basic income that isn’t based on employment. In other words, because there won’t be enough jobs you would be paid to do nothing.
If that happens – and it is a big IF – then those people are going to have a lot of free time on their hands. And whilst that sounds fantastic and would be for a while, it’s hard to picture that form of existence having a lot of meaning. Think about it for a moment … where will people get their significance from?
That’s where coaches come in
People who don’t need to work need something to do, or else their lives lack purpose or meaning. Coaches could help people find a purpose in their life beyond work. In fact, life coaches could find themselves in very high demand in the coming decades for that very reason.
But even in the shorter term, rather than being afraid of the coming change, business coaches and life coaches alike should be helping their clients be prepared. Now is the time to start planning for the rapidly changing future, not pretending that it isn’t going to happen. Clients need to embrace the change and position themselves as best they can.
Think about all those accountants and lawyers who will be out of a job in the coming years. Someone will need to help them find new opportunities and manage their transition into new fields. If you’re that someone then now is the time to start marketing to professionals in these fields.
So will there be coaching jobs in the heavily automated future? I believe there will. In fact, I believe coaching will become one of the boom industries once the changes start to occur. What a time to be alive.