Our computers have reached such a level of complexity that they are becoming intelligent, or at least are now capable of doing increasingly complex repetitive tasks. The impact on the modern world of work is likely to be as great as the revolution that assembly lines caused during the Industrial Revolution.
All of our members will be affected because in our daily lives we all perform repetitive functions that may be automated or simplified. What left will you have to do? What values will you continue to contribute to your employer? Are you going to lose your job?
Some trades are more at risk. Tasks that require more thought and analysis are less at risk. Everyone will need to make their own self-assessment of their future, and prepare to adapt to stay essential. (https://www.nexford.edu/insights/how-will-ai-affect-jobs)
Our union must work to prepare you for these eventualities, and be prepared to defend you from the massive cuts that could come.
We will need to develop new assessment tools, training plans, provide you with resources to protect you and prepare you to stay relevant to your jobs.
At PIPSC we launched a project 19 months ago to prepare our members to gain the skills they will need to thrive in their careers in the future. Our partnership with the Future Skills Centre (FSC) has granted us further funds that we have used to start the NAVIGAR project (https://navigar.ca/).
