Matthew GriffinFounder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
G7 · G20governments advised
850+keynotes
102countries
17codexes
Future of work sessions forPepsiCoWinchester CollegeUniversity of GreenwichDiscoverASM TechnologiesGovernment of Bahrain
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Lucy, the strategy team and Ministers at the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) invited Matthew to give their honorary keynote, on the future of the UK's workforce and the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on jobs and knowledge economy workers.
Titled the Future Workforce, the session ran for about twenty minutes followed by a lengthy Q&A, so Matthew focused on three topics, each with a twist: future business models, the upsides of automation, and work from anywhere.
"One of the greatest upsides of automation is using these same tools to unlock huge amounts of human potential and democratise access to skills."Matthew Griffin, United Kingdom, February 2023
He opened with new business models that will directly change how companies operate and go to market, and therefore how they hire and employ people. These included the evolution of the gig economy and the emergence of distributed and autonomous organisations, the latter of which need no employees to operate.
On automation, he acknowledged the downside most people associate with it, mass redundancies, but showed that one of its greatest upsides is using the same tools to unlock huge amounts of human potential and democratise access to skills. He showed Ministers the book he and his son wrote in under 12 hours with ChatGPT and MidJourney, and discussed what these technologies mean for jobs, hiring, training, re-skilling, the economy and tax revenues.
Finally, he showed how even surgeons and construction workers can now do their jobs from home as 5G and robotics bring tele-operations into the spotlight. His closing point was that work from anywhere no longer applies only to salespeople with a laptop and a mobile connection.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Business models change hiring first.
The gig economy is evolving, and distributed and autonomous organisations need no employees to operate. That changes how a company goes to market and who it employs. 311 data puts wide use of autonomous organisations around 2035, so leaders have time to plan but not to ignore it.
Automation can widen access to skills.
Mass redundancies are the fear most people attach to automation. The keynote showed the other side, where the same tools spread skills to more people, as a book written in under 12 hours showed. 311 data places skills democratisation around 2028 and job automation around 2027.
Where work happens is now open.
Surgeons and construction workers can do their jobs from home as 5G and robotics bring tele-operations forward. This pushes work from anywhere well beyond office roles. 311 data points to tele-operations in wide use around 2032, while many employers still tie staff to one country.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which of our roles could be done remotely if tele-operations arrives?
Where could automation widen access to skills in our organisation?
How would our hiring change if some firms need no employees?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
It means workforce planning must cover business models, automation and location together. Hiring, training, re-skilling and tax revenues all shift as these three forces build.
How does skills democratisation relate to this session?
It is the upside of automation that Matthew set against redundancies. 311 data describes people coding, designing, writing and analysing without years of training. That changes who can do what, and how organisations train and hire.
How does tele-operations relate to this session?
It underpins the point that work from anywhere is no longer just for people with a laptop. Fast networks and robots let people run machines, vehicles and even surgery from far away. 311 data puts wide use around 2032.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
Through a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. Sessions are held in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
One AI user already directs 18 people's work.
311 Institute's latest research finds a heavy AI user already directs the work of about 18 people for $180 a month. For a government planning for jobs, skills and tax revenues, the shift Matthew described to Ministers is already measurable.
