We Are All Creatives: A Manifesto of Humanity in the Age of Automation

Mike Sturm
4 min readNov 7, 2017

By recent estimates, something like 47% of jobs face the threat of being automated over the next 20 years. That means that what was once done by humans alone will now be done by a machines and algorithms.

As more of that 47% becomes a reality, all eyes are fixated on that other 53% — the stuff that we used to think was solely the realm of human capacities. If you go back as far as Aristotle and the early scientists, it was reason that made humans unique in the world. And until humans built machines that could use the same logic they do, that was true.

c/o McKinsey & Co.

Now it isn’t reason that sets humans apart. We learn to reason the same way that machines do; after all, we taught them how to do it. We are becoming sympatico in that respect. Only now, machines can already do it faster and more efficiently. They can take the inputs that we take, and make judgments more quickly — allowing for faster implementation of decisions, often without humans even being involved.

So what’s left for us humans? And how do we ensure that the remaining 53% of jobs keep their essential human elements?

The author made this story available to Medium members only.
If you’re new to Medium, create a new account to read this story on us.

Or, continue in mobile web

Already have an account? Sign in

Mike Sturm
Mike Sturm

Written by Mike Sturm

Creator: https://TheTodaySystem.com — A simpler personal productivity system. Writing about productivity, self-improvement, business, and life.

Responses (9)

What are your thoughts?

This is an important message but there is so much to be said (and that is already being said) about how machines could soon replace much or all of the remaining 53%, including doing things that we consider ‘creative’.
While it will be destructive for…...

Damn those last two paragraphs are awesome. Super inspiring! I like how you emphasize “return and tell us what you found.” I definitely agree that it’s super important to go outside the lines and wander, but it’s equally important to take the…...

So use that power. Observe and note the lines — understand them — then color outside of them.

I want to share a similar meme here:
As creatives, we take two positions. Inside the cultures we exist within so we can connect and share with others, but we also need to sit on the edge — removed — in order to generate messages for the very culture we exist within.