AI and the Cross-jobs Revolution
Embracing AI to save time, explore new opportunities, and redefine the future of work
Preamble: This article focuses mainly on opportunities for people looking to increase their income via multiple jobs. Others, a lot, probably most, might choose to maintain their output in a single job, doing the same in less time, and enjoying the newly-found hours for leisure, personal development, and relationships, fulfilling their human potential outside of “jobs”. This is another amazing promise of AI, where enterprises will need to remain ethical in managing both, and regulators will need to encourage assurances for both. We’ll cover this at another time.
In the quickly evolving landscape of work, technology, and People, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a catalyst for industries and businesses, as well as individuals. Over time, a growing number of people will become enabled to manage multiple jobs and streams of income, thanks to the spread of AI-powered tools that automate menial tasks and save precious human hours. As this trend continues, the future of work will swerve in yet a new direction, creating opportunities and challenges alike.
The rise of business AI tools will allow people to maximize their efficiency and productivity. By automating tasks and reducing the time spent on mundane work, humans can do exponentially more in less time, and fulfil more creative and strategic pursuits. This development can potentially lead to the birth of the cross-employment revolution, where individuals leverage AI tools to pursue various interests and diversify their income streams. Working cross-jobs will soon become much more prevalent than we see today.
One of the key drivers of this shift is the already existing rise of the gig economy. With the help of AI, otherwise single-job workers can now easily manage tasks across multiple projects and clients, all while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The widespread use of AI will also make entry-level jobs more accessible, enabling people to acquire new skills and explore different fields without committing years to technical education.
For instance, AI-powered data analysis will help sustain Business Intelligence for non-analytics managers, while AI-based graphic design tools already help individuals without a design background produce visually stunning materials. These tools not only save time but empower people to pursue diverse opportunities without sacrificing the quality of their work. This encourages entrepreneurial individuals to take in multiple jobs, maximizing their time and output towards increasing their gains. Their motivations go beyond establishing wealth, as it might be a means to face some regions’ precarious labour laws and inflation.
This cross-job revolution has significant implications for the future of work. As more people adopt AI tools and work towards work diversity, upskilling, and multiple income streams, traditional notions of employment and job stability are being challenged. The vision of a single lifelong career with sequential full-time employers is becoming increasingly outdated, as people prioritize flexibility and adaptability.
Naturally, this new paradigm also presents opportunities for businesses to tap into a more dynamic and diverse talent pool. By offering project-based work or part-time contracts, companies can engage with professionals who bring unique perspectives and skills to the table, increasing the odds for better outcomes and innovation, at significantly lower costs.
However, the “hustler mindset” of the cross-job revolution does come with its challenges. For instance, businesses’ reliance on part-time, less costly contracts will impact job scarcity and precarity in a world where more securities should be incentivized, not less. In turn, as individuals turn to multiple income sources, their own concerns about job security and financial stability will need to be equated, as the absence of a traditional employer-employee relationship will likely mean forfeiting benefits and social safety nets.
Governments and labour regulators must adapt to this new reality, encouraging ways to provide flexible support systems as people engage in cross-job work arrangements. This may include adjusting social security, healthcare, and retirement provisions to ensure workers are protected and supported, regardless of their path. Especially if over time more and more workers join this revolution, not by choice, but pushed to it.
Ultimately, people looking to fill their time with a high “productivity x reward” ratio, will definitely find in AI a powerful ally to increase their output and income, as the rise of AI and the cross-job emergence offer the promise of a more dynamic, fulfilling, and prosperous future for the individuals who opt into it at this early stage.