The Future Normal · Part 2
Remote Work For All
What if even the most physical of jobs, from tattooists to truck drivers, could be done remotely?
What if even the most physical of jobs, from tattooists to truck drivers, could be done remotely?
The Trend
The work-from-home shift was decidedly white collar, leaving out anyone whose job could not be done over a laptop and a Wi-Fi connection. Faster networks, latency low enough to sit below human perception and increasingly capable mixed reality are now making physical jobs remotely operable too, from camera work to long-haul trucking. In the future normal, access to work will be distributed far more equitably, and the benefits of remote work will reach workers across a much wider range of industries, abilities and education levels.
The Instigator
The Swedish startup builds the Pod, a near-silent autonomous electric freight truck, and was the first company in the world to run a regular autonomous electric freight route on public roads. Where competitors chase a fully human-free vision, founder Robert Falck argues there is no such thing as full autonomy and that keeping people in the loop is the commercial key. In early 2022 Einride hired Tiffany Heathcott, who had spent a decade driving trucks on the road, as the world’s first remote Pod operator, working from a desk at headquarters in Austin.
Imagining The Future Normal
Can teleoperated robots create a new remote workforce?
Currently, most robotics companies are pursuing a “human-in-the-loop” strategy, with remote operators able to step in when needed. As this scales, entirely new workplaces and workforce dynamics will emerge. The future will likely involve far more liquid global talent markets than ever before.
Will the ability to do “in-person” jobs remotely help alleviate worker shortages?
Teleoperation could reduce the need for worker migration by letting talent stay in their home countries while “commuting” digitally to nursing homes, construction sites, or factories abroad. This new work model may open the prospective employee pool to many more people, with all the implications that entails.
What if creative artisans could license their style?
Experts, celebrities, and thought leaders are already licensing their likeness to AI versions that are trained on their entire body of work (books, articles, interviews, etc.). Will people embrace these “official” AI-enabled doppelganger creations? And how will this impact those without strong personal brands or who elect not to allow their digital twins to be created and licensed?
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