Why the Future of Work is Human + A

 Imagine this: It's 1930 in London, and you need to wake up early for work. You’re not worried about missing your morning routine because, right on time, a knocker-upper arrives. Armed with a long stick, they tap persistently on your window until you're awake. For those on the upper floors, they might even shoot dried peas at the glass to make sure you’re roused!

Strange as it sounds, this was a genuine profession before alarm clocks became affordable and reliable. Today, it’s almost laughable to think of hiring someone just to wake us up, but back then, it was indispensable. It’s a perfect reminder that many jobs we rely on today might one day seem just as unusual.

Image coursey: Wikipedia. A knocker-up in Leeuwarden, 1947

The AI paradox

When reliable alarm clocks came along, the job of the knocker-upper naturally faded away. Back in 1914, The Guardian even published a piece lamenting how “the cheap American clock” was “killing the industry” in London. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Today, we’re seeing similar headlines about AI. It’s an interesting paradox, isn’t it? On one hand, AI is becoming an essential part of our daily lives, and on the other, we’re blaming it for stealing our jobs. If we stop and think we will realise that AI, like any other technology, is in fact creating more job opportunities. Is it not creating more of a shift than simply killing them? 

Why are we afraid of technology

Fear of the unknown

Much of the fear surrounding AI comes from not fully understanding how it works. Misinformation and hype often make AI seem more powerful or mysterious than it is. It's like a ghost story; until the ghost is unseen, it’s terrifying, but once it’s revealed, the fear diminishes.

Take the myth that AI will replace humans entirely; this is far from reality. For instance, even with all our advancements, we still struggle to design a robotic arm that matches the flexibility and dexterity of a human arm, capable of movements like rotation, fine motor control, and various grips. If replicating a simple human limb is this complex, creating machines that think, act, and feel like humans is still a distant goal.

The truth is, AI isn’t here to replace humans but to assist us. It supports tasks where we’re limited, like analyzing vast amounts of data or identifying patterns, but it doesn’t "think" or "understand" like we do. When we embrace AI as a tool to enhance, not threaten, human roles, we can see it as a partner in progress rather than something to fear.

Fear of losing control

Humans naturally like to stay in control. We prefer working with systems or people that are predictable and reliable. One challenge with AI is its 'black box' nature. Often, we can’t fully understand why a certain outcome was produced, and adjusting these outcomes isn’t as simple as giving feedback to a human.

Take for example, autonomous cars. Many feel uneasy trusting a self-driving car over a human driver. This same unease arises with AI in the workplace, as people fear losing not just jobs but also control and agency in their work.

Fear of obsolescence

The fear of obsolescence often comes from the belief that with AI in the workplace, people will become redundant, as AI is seen as smarter and more efficient. This view stems from the idea that AI can outdo humans and take control. But as I’ve mentioned before, we’re far from a time when machines can truly dictate human actions. Humans will never become obsolete because AI still relies on human judgment, reasoning, and thought to complete tasks. Ultimately, AI works best when guided by human insight and expertise.

Resistance to change

Resisting change is a natural human tendency. We find comfort in the familiar, and any disruption to the status quo can feel unsettling. Change often demands unlearning old ways and acquiring new skills, which can spark fears about not being skilled or adaptable enough to keep up. This apprehension is especially true with AI, as people worry about being left behind if they can’t match the evolving demands of their roles.

Moreover, our jobs and tasks often become a core part of our identity, so when technology reshapes these roles, it can feel like a personal loss. Adapting requires effort, initiative, and stepping out of our comfort zones. But then, isn’t that how progress happens? Consider how we once relied on letters for communication, waiting days for a response. Today, with technology, we connect instantly, making life easier and more efficient.

Embracing technology like AI isn’t about replacing who we are; it’s about enhancing what we can do. Each new tool offers an opportunity to learn, grow, and add value to ourselves. Change, while challenging, is the path to a better future.

Jobs aren’t stolen they are transformed

Let me give you an example. When calculators were first invented, people were worried they’d make us forget how to do math. But over time, we realized that humans were never great at complex calculations anyway, and calculators turned out to be fantastic assistants.

The same thing happened when accounting software started showing up in businesses. There was fear that accountants would lose their jobs. But what actually happened? Accountants adapted, learned to use the software, and now it’s hard to imagine any business doing accounting without it.

Before electronic computers existed, the term "computer" actually referred to a person. These human computers (many of them women) carried out complex mathematical calculations by hand or using mechanical calculators. They worked on critical problems in astronomy, engineering, navigation and even space missions. There’s a beautiful film called Hidden Figures (2016) that tells the story of some of these brilliant women who helped send astronauts into orbit. When electronic computers arrived, the job didn’t disappear. The work simply changed. These women shifted into programming, system design, and new technical roles that emerged. The skill evolved, not vanished.

In fact, computers have become such a big part of our lives that we struggle to function without them. We’ve reached a point where we even have to encourage writing by hand!

AI is just another step in this journey of digitization. Especially in areas where humans naturally struggle, It’s here to assist, not to replace us.

New Opportunities in the AI Era

With every new technology, work doesn’t disappear, it simply changes. The same is happening now with AI. Some tasks that we used to do by hand can now be done faster with AI. So instead of doing repetitive work, our roles shift into thinking, guiding, and creating.

Here are some kinds of roles that are becoming more important:

• People who help create and organise data

AI learns from examples. So we need people who can collect, clean, label, and arrange data so that the AI learns correctly.

• People who check and improve AI’s output

AI doesn’t always get everything right. Humans are needed to look at the results, correct mistakes, and guide the system to improve over time.

• People who understand how to use AI in real work

This is less about coding and more about understanding how work happens. These people connect business needs with AI tools in a practical way.

• People who can teach others how to use AI

Teams need help to understand how to use AI in their everyday work. Trainers, coaches, and even internal champions will play a big role.

• People who make sure AI is used responsibly

As AI becomes part of decision-making, we need people who think about fairness, transparency, and good use of data. This is about using AI with care.

• People who create AI

As AI becomes an integral part of our lives, there is more demand for solutions that make use of AI as its backbone. There is a growing need for people who can design algorithms and solutions that use AI to solve real problems.

The interesting thing is, none of these roles are about replacing human skills. In fact, they need human abilities such as judgment, communication, empathy, and problem-solving. So the real opportunity in the AI era is not to become more like a machine, but instead, to lean even more into what makes us human.

Where Humans Shine Bright

It’s easy to forget that machines are creations of human effort and imagination. Every invention, every discovery, has started with a human idea. Machines may have helped along the way, making things faster or more efficient, but the initial spark comes from us. Could machines do this on their own? No. They have no reason, no motivation, no purpose beyond what we give them.

We, as humans, have something machines don’t; feelings, creativity, intuition, and the ability to think in ways that aren’t programmed. Machines are great at tasks that need precision, repetition, or processing large amounts of data. But humans are unmatched when it comes to creativity, adapting to change, or solving complex problems. Machines are here to help us do more, not to replace us. Together, we can achieve much more than either could alone.

The Key to Staying Relevant

If there is one thing that has always helped people stay ahead, it is the willingness to learn. Jobs will continue to change, tools will continue to evolve, and new ways of working will keep emerging. The real question is, are we ready to adapt along with them?

What really matters today is having a skill. Not necessarily a technical skill or something complicated. But a skill that adds value; something you can do well and can keep improving at.

AI will take on parts of our work, especially the repetitive or heavy data-related tasks. That simply means we get more time and space to focus on things that require human thinking, problem solving, decision-making, understanding people, creativity, and communication.

So staying relevant isn’t about trying to compete with AI. It’s about learning how to work with it and using it to do your job better.

My take on this

AI is not the first technology to create worry, and it won’t be the last. Every major shift in history, from the printing press to electricity to computers, has brought questions, fears, and change. Yet each of these shifts also opened new doors, created new kinds of work, and improved the way we live.

The same is true today.

AI is not here to replace us. It is here to work with us, to take on what is heavy, repetitive, or data-heavy, so that we can focus on what is thoughtful, meaningful, and truly human.

The real opportunity is not in resisting AI, but in embracing it as a partner. If we stay curious, keep learning, and continue strengthening our uniquely human strengths like creativity, empathy, judgment, and communication, there is no reason to fear being left behind.

The future will not be built by machines alone. It will be built by humans using machines wisely.

And that is a future full of possibility!

Rajashree Rajadhyax

Co Founder, Cere Labs