Jobs of the future

ETHICAL HACKER

• Anticipates, simulates and prevents cyber attacks

• Removes data and information for fraudulent from computer systems

• Supports the management of personal data processing

Answer explanation

Also known by the name of White hat (antagonist of the so-called Black hat), the Ethical hacker is capable of anticipating, simulating and preventing cyber attacks. He simulates attacks on his own company IT system to identify flaws. The Ethical hacker is able to infiltrate protected networks without authorization, test the effectiveness of company security systems and evaluate the validity of the measures adopted up to that point.

MACHINE-LEARNING DEVELOPER

• Develops humanoids dedicated to teaching and learning for children

• Develop algorithms for computer systems to learn without human intervention

• Develop biometric security solutions that will replace passwords and keys

Answer explanation

Machine learning is a data analysis method that automates the building of analytical models. It is a branch of Artificial Intelligence and is based on the idea that systems can learn from data, identify patterns autonomously and make decisions with minimal human intervention.  Thanks to machine learning it is possible to automatically create models for the analysis of larger and more complex data, and to quickly process more accurate results even on a large scale. Building precise models allows companies to identify new profit opportunities or avoid unanticipated risks.

PERSONAL BRAND MANAGER & CONTENT CURATOR

• Lawyer for registering of patent inventions

• Designer of brand and digital presence in social networks

• Creator of interactive content for business

Answer explanation

A personal brand manager and content creator will work with people to market themselves using digital tools. The brand manager helps people to discover what their career aspirations are, and then constructs an avatar (virtual self) that aligns with this. They will design a brand and digital presence for the person, including curating artefacts such as images and 3D video of the person, building social networks and making posts to build that person's social media influence. Personal brand managers and content creators need to have great written, oral and visual communication skills, to create a persona for someone else. They need to be able to listen to their clients to discover what their career plans are. They need to have skills and knowledge about social media platforms, as well as specialist knowledge about marketing, branding, and career opportunities. Advanced skills with digital media such as holographics, 3D video, and augmented reality will also be needed.

OFF WORLD HABITAT DESIGNER

• Designer of extraterrestrial habitat

• Designer of spatial solutions for well-being

• • Designer of spatial solutions for transport

Answer explanation

As humans continue to explore space, plans will be developed to colonize other planets and moons. Off world habitat designers work with other specialists and scientists, such as the terraforming microbiologist, to construct habitable buildings on other worlds. Starting with scientific space stations, but soon moving to tourism, Mars was the first planet to be colonized off world, and several space stations are already in development with other planets and moons to follow. There is a need to design complete habitats for these extraterrestrial environments. This includes points of interest, things to do (ranging from sports to adventure to exploration), accommodation and restaurants, together with all necessary support facilities and infrastructure to manage and maintain. The new habitats are designed to complement the existing ecologies, so designers of extraterrestrial habitats must have high-level ecological awareness to ensure that comparable systems are put in place and that local aspects are used within the design of the new habitat. Most elements of existing habitats are hostile to human habitation. How do we ensure that the gravitational force in the area is suitable and stable? How do we protect people from radiation? How can we ensure an optimal mix of breathing air? These factors are at the forefront of the designer's mind, something that terrestrial habitat designers never have to worry about. The extraterrestrial habitat designer will have ecological and architectural skills and knowledge and will be creative in how to address the challenges and possibilities in extraterrestrial locations. They will also need to have high-level communication skills, as they will be designing together with others.

ROBOT ETHICIST

• AI expert who takes care of the maintenance of robots and vehicles

• AI expert who designs and builds robots

• AI expert who studies the ethical and social impact of intelligent machine

Answer explanation

The Robot Ethicist will be an artificial intelligence expert who studies the ethical and social impact of intelligent machinery. A profession that does not currently exist but could spread at an increasingly intense pace together with profiles specialized in evaluating the usefulness of technologies (AI usefulness strategist) or "educating" virtual assistants such as Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa in empathy (emphacy trainer). The figures emerge from an Accenture investigation into "new and entirely human job categories" in the digital job market. We are not talking about roles that replace the figures eliminated by automation, but about tasks that are "new and require unprecedented skills and training". The raw material will above all be algorithms, automatic procedures, without excluding skills linked to the control of actions and messages conveyed by technologies. Facebook announced only in May the hiring of 3,000 moderators to more carefully monitor the contents published and disseminated by its platform. A role that cannot be played, for now, by software alone.

BIOPRINTING ENGINEER

• Expert for producing a structure or tissue for use in regenerative medicine

• Expert in 3D technology to produce material used in construction

• Expert in 3D technology to produce foods that can be used in haute cuisine

Answer explanation

3D printing will have an increasing range of applications in the future, including printing organic materials.

One possibility is synthetic meat, to respond to concerns about the climate and ethical ramifications of meat production.

Another is 3D printing of tissue such as cartilage, bone or muscle, or potentially internal organs, for tailored human implants.

Research on such implants is moving at a fast pace.

A bioprinting engineer will create viable tissue for human implants, using hardware and software associated with next generation 3D printers.

A bioprinting engineer will have strong engineering skills and STEM knowledge and will work in teams with biologists, medical specialists and software designers. They will have design skills and well-developed communication and interpersonal skills for effective teamwork.

DATA COMMODITIES BROKER

• Designer of solutions to protect people’s data.

• Predicts human and system behavior based on data and algorithms.

• Expert that sells collected data on behalf of people and corporations

Answer explanation

Data is very valuable. In the future it is used to inform every sphere of human activity, including marketing, development of products and services, healthcare, and government services. Data commodities brokers sell collected data on behalf of people, communities and corporations, that will then be fed into machine learning algorithms for different purposes. In historical times, people gave away their data for free. The data that was captured through their online behavior (e.g., web sites that they visited, interactions with other people) was taken and used for sales and marketing of products back to those people. These days, data is sold to different agencies. People can decide which types of agency their data will be sold to, what it will be used for, and for how much money they are prepared to sell it. For instance, a community area contains environmental sensors that pick up information about its residents, the environment, energy use, and patterns of consumption. The community employs a data commodities broker to negotiate the sale of this data. Data commodities brokers will have a background in sales or commerce, with specific interests in financial and data management. They will have strong maths, logic and problem-solving skills, and have data-based research capabilities to understand the market demand for a particular type of data. They will work with algorithmic software to undertake projections. They will have solid negotiating skills, and an understanding of data law.