by Edward D. Hess and Katherine Ludwig
Introduction. Humility Is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age was co-authored in June 2016 by Edward D. Hess and Katherine Ludwig to address the question of where humans will stand in a post-AI workforce (what the authors refer to as the “Smart Machine Age” or “SMA”). The authors postulate that the number of available jobs will dwindle in the SMA, since AI will replace humans in large numbers and for many types of jobs, so a need exists for humans to immediately begin to develop the skills that will maximally increase our marketability to remain relevant in a rapidly changing and highly competitive workforce.
Analysis. The authors begin by outlining differences between “old smart” and “new smart” by changing how “smart” is defined. Rather than defining how smart a person is by how much information they’re able to retain and recall, a new approach for assessing how holistically smart a person is could instead be found by analyzing how they reach their conclusions, as well as how well they’re able to emotionally connect with others. The authors develop the theme by defining some “new smart” behaviors, which include quieting the ego, managing self, reflective listening, and otherness (emotionally connecting and relating to others). The conclusion of the book ties these virtues together to analyze what a “new smart” organization looks like by assessing current cutting-edge companies such as Facebook and Google. Naturally, the common thread connecting each concept is humility.
Evaluation. Even if AI doesn’t change the market, and there is no dawning of a “Smart Machine Age”, the concepts covered in this book remain vital for any person who aims at making themselves competitive in the job market. Essentially, the book outlines the value of soft skills from a standpoint of utility in conjunction with AI, all while emphasizing one underlying theme: the value of humility. The authors do an amazing job threading dozens of additional, outside books into the narrative of this book, so a reader is exposed to many additional outlets of interest (or familiar anchor points) which immensely enrich the text.
Conclusion. Irrespective of a reader’s interest in AI or the possible changes that it will (likely) have on the labor market of tomorrow, this book delivers tremendous value and exposes readers to dozens of additional books, some of which may interest them. I highly recommend this book.