I received some heavy criticism because of the TV interview I’ve recently given. Many people seem to be quite confused about how vocational schools will be of any use in ten years, when AI will replace repetitive jobs (workers, foremen etc.) that can be automated like robots are doing in factories.
Let me clarify this: In 10 to 15 years, you won’t need to go to a store to buy sneakers. Instead, the store will send you an IP number using 5G technology and you will print it on the 3D printer you have at your home. It’s that simple!
They will even ask you, “You want a single copy or multiple copies?” to determine the price. In other words, many large factories or manufacturing plants will become void, in terms of producing certain goods and services. Those three-dimensional printers I mentioned above will be manufacture by robots and calibrated by AI. And that is the reason why we will need talented people equipped with design and development skills. And that is how we need to shape the education: by training individuals capable of overcoming challenges in meeting future human needs and demands.
Another good example of this challenge is the way toward de Blockchain. II wonder how many people left today who still get secretarial assistance. Almost everyone today, regardless of their age, draws up their own documents either on their desktop PC or laptop, or even on their mobile phone. Let me ask you this: How many times a day do you speak on a landline phone? Obviously, you only answer calls on your mobile phone. Don’t people who avoid calling you send you a text message on WhatsApp? Or send you a DM on social media? Remember, once you type something down, it becomes undeletable. Once you create a document, it becomes a part of the universe.
Here’s what I’m trying to say: We now have new habits that we didn’t have ten years ago from now. And our old habits are slowly dying. People used to think that carrying a lot of cash in their wallet is cool. But today, it’s considered unmannerly, even vulgar, not to mention that you become vulnerable to theft. Today, Capital Market instruments created derivatives that no one could imagine. As for the politicians, they are doing or telling the opposite of what they did or told in the past. Such parading shifts bring great impacts on our lives.
“There’s no end in sight to chase for money, but what about humanity?”
Considered a “taboo” for so long by central banks, the freedom doesn’t exist anymore. And to top it all off, now we have new mediums of exchange and stores of value, such as cryptocurrencies. While some people are doing their best not to let go of outdated institutions and system, others are trying to replace these ancient mechanisms with new ones.
So, in a world like this, what model should the companies adopt so as they can always aim for the better without exploitation of labour and loss of profit?
As you may remember, I’ve found the answer to this question during my visit to Huawei Shenzhen campus in late August. Let me share with my impressions of this visit again:
“…. Huawei’s management model is based on pure experience, involving employees, managers and founders of different levels. Almost 99% of the company’s shares are owned by employees; which means the founder of Huawei only possesses one percent of company shares. The requirements for owning these shares are precisely defined. Huawei has also got a rotating CEO system. Each newly appointed CEO acts as CEO for a tenure of 6 months. The company contains a chain of decision not from the top of the organization to the bottom, but from the bottom pf the organization to the top. No one at Huawei puts the company at risk for his/her own personal interests or ambitions. The benefits that the company offers to its employees does not bring any financial harm to the company whatsoever since the company’s assets are used directly proportional to its employees’ happiness. Why Huawei doesn’t want to list on public stock markets because if they do this, they may run the risk of facing obstacles, trying to prevent them from investing in R&D and staff….”
A little reminder for those who still vouch for Vocational High Schools: They took me to Huawei plant where they showed me the mobile phone assembly line. Recently, more than 80 workers were working the assembly line. Now, thanks to AI and robots, the number of workers working the assembly line fell to 17. Huawei management expects further decrease in the number of workers by the next year.
I honestly don’t know why some people in Turkey still resist the future technology and keep fighting for vocational high schools. We must change our mindset as urgently as possible considering that fact that robots and AI will replace semi-skilled workers and foremen in remote future that’s not so far away.
