Technology Has Always Existed: It's a Matter of Perspective
What we call "new technology" today will become tomorrow's normal. Old technologies become current in our daily lives. This perspective matters because it shows us that adaptation, not fear, has always been humanity's path forward.
Every major technological shift followed the same pattern:
- The technology emerges
- It replaces old methods
- Humans adapt to new ways of working
- Society evolves to incorporate the change
The key difference now is the pace and scope of change. We're not just replacing physical labor or specific industries—we're automating thinking itself. But the fundamental truth remains: humans have always adapted. The question is whether our current systems can keep up with the speed of this transition.
The Historical Pattern: From Fields to Factories to Offices
Agriculture: Technology Transformed Food Production
Technology has helped agriculture transition to provide higher yields and the volume needed by growing humanity:
- Better seeds and farming techniques
- Irrigation systems
- Mechanized equipment
- Result: Fewer farmers needed, more food produced
This wasn't the end of farming—it was the evolution of farming. Technology didn't eliminate the need for food production; it transformed how we produce food.
Industry: Machinery Replaced Hard Physical Work
Then came the machinery that replaced lots of hard-working jobs:
- Manufacturing automated repetitive tasks
- Machines took over dangerous work
- Humans moved to supervision and management
- Result: Workers moved from fields to factories
People adapted. They learned new skills. They moved to where the work was. The transition was disruptive, but humans found new ways to contribute.
Services: The Office Era
Factories automated their production lines, and people moved to offices:
- Service sector jobs in retail, finance, healthcare
- Administrative and professional roles
- Result: Workers moved from factories to offices
Again, humans adapted. New industries created new opportunities. The pattern seemed sustainable.
The Unprecedented Challenge: AI and Robotics
Now we fully control robotics and machinery to replicate human work. With AI, we can automate most professional services in a way that can benefit everybody for better performance and better accuracy.
What's Being Automated:
- Physical labor (already done)
- Mental labor (in progress)
- Professional services (AI is doing it)
- Creative work (AI is entering here too)
The Issue Compared to Previous Evolutions:
We don't have a replacement industry to provide jobs—at least not in the quantity needed to provide jobs for all.
In the past:
- Workers moved from fields → factories
- Workers moved from factories → offices
- There was always a next destination
Now:
- Workers are leaving offices → Where do they go?
The Missing Replacement Industry
The only industry that can cross my mind as a clear replacement is earth cleaning industries. But other than that, no clear replacement industry exists for the volume needed.
Earth Cleaning: The Only Logical Next Industry
Earth cleaning makes sense as the next major industry:
- Addresses urgent global challenges (climate change, pollution)
- Requires massive human and technological effort
- Hasn't been automated yet
- Could employ millions of people
- It's the obvious next frontier
The Volume Problem
But even earth cleaning won't solve the volume problem:
- How many cleaning jobs can truly replace service sector employment?
- The scale needed is unprecedented
- Billions of people need meaningful work
The reality is stark: there's no replacement industry that can absorb the workforce volume being displaced by automation.
The Fundamental Question: Is “Work as We Know It” Still a Valid Business Model?
So the question we should ask is: Is “work as we know it” still a valid business model for humans?
This isn't just about work—it's about:
- Learning: It's becoming more like an everyday process rather than 3 years of study in a lifetime
- Our role on the planet: Maybe it should be as simple as caring (which doesn't necessarily generate money), caring for what has been given to us
- Our purpose: Are we here to work, or are we here to live?
The traditional model—work to survive, learn once, retire if lucky—may no longer be valid in a world where:
- Technology changes everything every 5 years
- Most work can be automated and only require a few conductors
- Knowledge is universally accessible
- We have the tools to provide security for all
The Learning Revolution: From Storage to Navigation
Knowledge Storage Is No Longer the Problem
In the past, knowledge bases were very fragile:
- Inflammable libraries
- Uncertain human memories
- Lost knowledge and long evolution time
- Access was limited to the privileged few
But now, it's over:
- Knowledge is copied everywhere
- Atomic-resistant backups exist
- Access to knowledge is becoming universal through the internet
- Storage is not the problem anymore
The Real Problem:
- Too much information
- Difficulty identifying truth
- Navigating perspectives and biases
- Knowing how to learn, not what to learn
The Old Life Model Is Obsolete
The model 20/40/20 (20 years for learning, 40 years for work and family, 20 for the lucky to enjoy in your lifetime) is not working and won't work in the future.
The Myth:
Assuming we can learn in 5-7 years of school to know everything for the rest of your life is a myth nowadays. We have major changes in everything every 5 years or so, and the pace won't slow down.
The Reality:
- Technology evolves every few years
- Knowledge becomes obsolete quickly
- Skills need constant updating
- Jobs are dissapearing quickly
- Universities are still teaching jobs that have little future
- Learning must be lifelong
The New Learning Model: Learn How to Learn
Instead of learning, we should learn how to learn:
- How to look for data: Finding reliable sources
- How to identify good data: Separating fact from fiction
- How to recognize perspective: Understanding bias and context
- How to identify fraud: Critical thinking skills
Nowadays, we need to know the tools that allow us to be true and performant rather than storing huge amount of knowledge in our little human memory.
Learning Should Be a Lifelong Process
The New Approach:
- Learning should be lifelong, with more emphasis at a young age
- Teens need to awake their curiosity early and go discover different industries
- Create motivation and vocation through exploration
- This is an important part of learning
Why This Matters:
Now we have so many types of jobs with low volume of workers in them. It's more about picking the right job people will enjoy doing, and not just finding any job for survival.
The Shift:
From: Learn once, work for life
To: Learn continuously, adapt constantly
Survival depends on adaptability (Darwin)
The Urgent Need: Universal Basic Income
With “work as we know it” disappearing, the necessity for UBI is urgent to maintain security and vital resources for all.
Why UBI Is Urgent
The Security Crisis:
- Traditional jobs are disappearing
- Automation is accelerating
- No replacement industry at scale
- People need income security now
The Transition Challenge:
- People can't adapt if they're worried about survival
- Fear prevents innovation
- Insecurity blocks entrepreneurship
- Security enables adaptation
What UBI Enables
By having a secured minimum for living, we'll create a safer environment for all where people will:
- Focus more on their will and what they want to do rather than what they need to do
- Allow entrepreneurship to grow as people can take risks with a security layer
- Enable new industries or services to appear
- Maintain security and stability during transition
The Result:
UBI doesn't eliminate work—it changes why we work:
- From: Work because we must
- To: Work because we choose
Purpose over necessity
The Jobs That Will Remain: Re-Valuing Essential Work
Not all jobs will be automated. Some essential jobs require human presence, physical skills, and adaptability that machines can't easily replicate:
Examples of Essential Jobs That Will Stay:
- Construction workers: Building and repairing structures
- Plumbers: Fixing pipes, installing systems
- Electricians: Wiring, repairs, installations
- Landscapers: Maintaining outdoor spaces
- Caregivers: Taking care of elderly and vulnerable
- Warehouse/Factory/Retail: Producing or moving products
The Current Problem:
These hard-working jobs are often the least paid, despite being essential. Why?
- Physical labor is undervalued
- Supply and demand, illegal immigration create low wages
- People take these jobs out of necessity, not choice
- The hardest work gets the least reward
How UBI Changes This:
When people have basic income security, these essential jobs will be re-evaluated positively:
Re-Valuation Through Choice:
- People won't take hard jobs out of desperation
- Employers will need to offer better wages to attract workers
- Essential work will be properly valued without the need of immigration
- Those who choose hard work will be compensated fairly
The Irony:**
The jobs that are needed and rarely wanted will finally be valued appropriately.
- When people have the choice not to do them, those who do will be compensated fairly.
- UBI doesn't eliminate these jobs—it ensures they're properly valued.
- Nations are often relying on mass immigration for those jobs, which is also what we want to suppress
The Economic Model Shift
Traditional Model:
- Everyone must find work
- Work provides income
- Income provides security
- Work = Survival
New Model:
- UBI provides basic security
- Work provides purpose and additional income
- People can pursue what matters
- Work = Purpose
O Coin: A Solution Designed for This Transition
The O blockchain (https://o.international ) has been specifically designed to provide a universal, cost-free UBI that can help transition and resolve issues such as global mass migration, as well as providing a real stable digital money allowing to finance vital activities such as earth cleaning.
Universal, Stable, Cost-Free UBI
The Design:
- Based on water price—stable and universal (one digital O currency per fiat currency)
- Unlimited supply for UBI distribution
- Doesn’t require market, investor or government trust or confidence to stay stable
- No costs for basic income
- Available to all 8 billion people
The Impact:
- Provides security during transition
- Enables people to adapt to new reality
- Removes fear from automation
- Foundation for human flourishing
Solving Global Mass Migration
The Problem:
- Economic inequality drives migration
- People move to where work exists
- Creates social and political tensions
- Migration caused by economic necessity
The Solution:
With universal income, people can:
- Stay where they are if they choose
- Have economic security locally
- Move for purpose, not necessity
- Reversing forced migration
Financing Earth Cleaning
The Challenge:
- Earth cleaning has no traditional ROI
- Investors don't fund unprofitable activities
- Government budgets are limited
- Most important work isn't being done
The Solution:
O coin's stable, universal currency can:
- Finance earth cleaning activities
- Provide value for environmental work
- Create economic incentives for cleaning
- Enable the next industry and millions of new jobs
To learn more about the O blockchain, visit https://o.international
Adapting to Fast-Paced Change
Humans need to adapt to the fast pace that technology is driving us. The model 20/40/20 (20 years for learning, 40 years for work and family, 20 for the lucky to enjoy in your lifetime) is not working and won't work in the future.
The Speed of Change
The Reality:
- Major changes every 5 years
- Technology evolving faster than education
- Skills becoming obsolete quickly
- Change speed won't slow down but accelerate
The Challenge:
- Traditional systems can't keep up
- Education lags behind technology
- Work models are outdated
- We need faster adaptation
The Adaptation Imperative
What Needs to Change:
1. Learning: From one-time to lifelong
2. Work: From necessity to purpose
3. Security: From work-based to universal
4. Purpose: From survival to flourishing
How to Adapt:
- Embrace continuous learning
- Accept that work will change
- Detach from the habits of the past
- Support UBI for security
- Focus on purpose over paycheck
Conclusion: Adaptation, Not Worry
Should we be worried about lost jobs? No, we should adapt our civilization to the new technology reality.
The Truth:
- Technology has always existed—it's a matter of perspective
- We've adapted before—we can adapt again
- The difference is the pace and scope of change
- We need new models, not fear
The Challenge:
- No clear replacement industry at scale
- Traditional work model may be obsolete
- Learning must become lifelong
- Security is urgently needed
The Solution:
- Universal Basic Income for security
- Lifelong learning for adaptation
- Purpose over paycheck
- O blockchain as the foundation (https://o.international )
The Future:
Work as we know it is disappearing, but that's not necessarily bad. How many of us have the luck of doing what they want and fulfilling their purpose? It’s an opportunity to:
- Focus on purpose, not just survival
- Learn continuously, not just once
- Create security for all, not just disappearing workers
- Adapt our civilization to new technology reality
O blockchain has been specifically designed for this transition—providing universal, cost-free UBI, solving global mass migration through economic security, and financing vital activities like earth cleaning.
The question isn't whether jobs will disappear—it's whether we'll adapt fast enough to create a better model for human flourishing.
With Universal Basic Income, lifelong learning, and purpose-driven work, we can adapt to new technology reality and create a civilization that serves humans, not the other way around.
O International is a French non-profit association focused on the design, creation and promotion of a water price-based digital stable currency. All code is open source (MIT license). Learn more at https://o.international
References & Further Reading
- History of Technological Transitions (various economic and social history sources)
- AI and Automation Impact on Employment (various economic research)
- Universal Basic Income (UBI research and pilot programs)
- Earth Cleaning Technologies (environmental restoration research)
- Lifelong Learning Models (education research)
- O Blockchain: Universal UBI and Water Price-Based Currency (https://o.international)
Note on Content: This article examines how technology has always forced adaptation throughout human history and argues that our current challenge requires new models—lifelong learning, Universal Basic Income, and purpose-driven work. It presents O coin as a solution designed specifically for this transition.
This article is published under HackerNoon's Business Blogging program.