Humans in the Future of Work? By: Kerala Woods

Humans in the Future of Work?

Ten leading experts answer this important question.

For this year’s ‘DesignTO Symposium, Unlocking the Future of Work’, 10 leading experts explore the question: What about humans in the future of work? As technology develops and concepts of work evolve, these designers and innovators will investigate the ways in which humanity will change along with work. Here’s what some of them will be talking about.

“The Internet has allowed architecture to develop in new and exciting ways, but it has also created new dangers,” says Wendy W Fok, Creative Director and Founder of WE-DESIGNS. Fok believes the fields of architecture, engineering and construction can gain a better understanding of how to regulate ownership and authorship by drawing influence from other disciplines, including computer science, music, fashion, economics and law.

Tom Morin, creator of WorkFeelsGood. com, foresees a time when robotics and artificial intelligence will eventually diminish work diversity. In its absence, how will work be valid and worthwhile? Morin believes that the answer may be found in how we construct meaningfulness. “Wellbeing in the future demands that we each take responsibility for creating a meaningful working life.”

As work evolves, organizations will be forced to find ways of supporting creative processes. Director of Haworth’s Client Engagement Studio Yoel Berznoger believes design will not only need to address spatial implications of creativity in the workplace, but also the emotional and cognitive needs of the workforce itself.

On another note, how can work become more inclusive and diverse? Art Director and designer Juan Saavedra considers these uncertainties as a strength and looks forward to the ways design will champion gender- and sex-based analysis.

Interdisciplinary designer Shihan Zhang imagines a world where a new economic model has emerged. The Personal Carbon Economy is one

where people will pay for goods and services with both dollars and carbon credits.

Founded by Mauricio Navarro and Jenny Boucher, D.A.R. Projects of Peru works directly with textile and stone artisans using traditional techniques to create opportunities for innovation in the manufacturing business. Their focus is on collaboration, multidisciplinary practices, and the intersections that enrich culture.

Designer and innovator Chloe Waretini expects work and its role in our lives to change significantly in the near future. Humans will need to “respecialize in being human…cultivating our unique human abilities—creativity, critical thinking and ethics, empathy and relational intelligence.” In this future, she adds, successes will be measured not by monetary compensation, but by “how our work maximizes our greatest gifts, purpose and meaningful contribution to the world.”

As our dependency on machines grows, the role of humans in work will change. Design research studio Radical Norms argues that “citizens, communities, corporations and governments [will] have a new role: to ensure these new systems

are adequately representing us all. Evaluate, debate, change and create—this is the future of work.” As technologies become increasingly complex, human knowledge, policies and regulations will need to be constantly updated in order for these new technologies to “become part of our workflow.” Multidisciplinary studio Department of Unusual Certainties (DoUC) asks the questions: “what does privacy mean (to each individual) in this evolving world?” and “what is our role as designers to consider privacy in our own work?”

Kerala Woods is a Content Editor at DesignTO, and freelance writer with experience at Flare, Elle Canada, Monocle, and The Coveteur.

Attend the ‘DesignTO Symposium: Unlocking the Future of Work’ on Saturday, January 26.