Understanding the complex relationship between man and machine

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The beauty of AI and big data doing all the mundane work is what's freeing up people’s time; allowing them to not just do the things they love, but look at doing things that will change the world around them.

The emergence of the non-collar consultants shouldn’t scare you but should be viewed as an opportunity to allow your mind to focus on the work and things that matter as appose to storing data you probably won’t use efficiently.

I would like to see third world countries move towards being data-driven where every decision is calculated, and strategy is reviewed looking at risk versus reward and deciding on the best execution route from the data collated.

Technology doesn’t only allow us to reach frontiers we never previously imagined, it frees us up to do work that will positively impact the world. Technology also eradicates a great level of corruption.

I worked with a few Nigerian contacts two years ago and this was when blockchain was being deployed in the market, which was a dream come true for all those who felt that the grip corruption has in that private and public sector is unbelievable.

Now imagine an automated ledger system that tracks payment routes and from each end and the product and payments are only received once the blockchain gives consensus to both parties. A few years prior, Nigerians would have to pay two or more people on their way to make a single simple payment in some institutions, you would think the technology was developed for that market.

In rural China and other African countries, the land is so difficult to navigate that people living in rural areas suffer and struggle to get access to basic medical care supplies. Today we see medication and other small objects being delivered to the needy using drones – again you’d be certain this technology was designed with that in mind, but that is not the case.

The point I am getting to is that whether we like it or not, the world of technology is rapidly improving. We have to acknowledge that we people always find creative ways to make the machines work for us and its never been the other way outside sci-fi movies.

Now with computers doing the heavy lifting, we are free to stretch our minds and capacity and think of ways to improve the world, take care of our families and spend more time on the experiences we value the most. Many people fear what they do not understand and that is not the best way to go into the 4IR - it needs someone who is eager to learn.

Together technology and a growth mindset are probably the most powerful things on planet Earth. The connection dates back to lineages when we first let our fingers run across our keypads and saw that the computer is not merely an extension of ourselves but as a part of us, and this trend continues to grow with the smartphone always at arm’s length. Others have smartwatches on their wrists in case they are too far from their device.

Remember when we saw cyborgs in movies? That’s happening now but we don’t have wires inserted in us, however, man and machine are now almost inseparable.