Our business at the Chamber is your business. And, it is no secret that technology continues to change our lives and disrupt how we do business. The Brookings Institution just released a report on how automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are impacting our work.
The great news: Our region is one of the least at-risk of losing jobs to automation. As a matter of fact, our metro area ranks 88th among the top 100 metro areas in the U.S. in terms of the average share of tasks we all do that could one day become automated. (If you’re a human being, a higher number is better on this measure ?) Given that we boast one of the most educated and innovative workforces in the country and our efforts to build a diverse, knowledge-based economy, these results make total sense. But, even with that good news, Brookings estimates that 43.6 percent of tasks across all jobs in the Denver metro area are still susceptible to automation.
I can think of a lot of tasks that would be great to remove from my to-do list and I’m sure our teams have a nice long list, too. This is the upside of automation. The reality is there will still be a great deal of disruption impacting those jobs that have “routine” tasks – think about check-out clerks in stores, reception areas with touch screens instead of a receptionist and if you go way back, gas station attendants. These are examples of the tip of the iceberg of what we face in the future.
One of those disruptors is blockchain technology. You’ve probably heard of blockchain because it’s the decentralized ledger that tracks transactions across an entire network for cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, but its uses are much broader, including improving supply chain logistics or preventing counterfeiting of products. And, you can learn more about this technology at our next Gold Program. On Feb. 19, a panel of experts will share more about what blockchain is and how you can leverage it for your business.
Kelly Brough is the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber.