The Next Uber Doesn’t Exist Yet

One of the readers of my recent anniversary article posed an interesting observation.

Uber was not possible until smartphones became common.

In hindsight, Uber seems obvious. But in 2005 it would have sounded ridiculous. Millions of strangers getting into the cars of other strangers, coordinated through a handheld computer connected to satellites and payment systems? The idea depended on several technologies maturing at the same time. Once they did, an entirely new business model emerged.

Without GPS, mobile internet, digital payments, and millions of connected users carrying computers in their pockets, the business simply could not exist.

The same could be said for Airbnb, food delivery apps, mobile banking, and dozens of other services we now take for granted.

Which raises an interesting question.

If artificial intelligence becomes as common as smartphones, what business opportunities become possible next?

And perhaps more importantly:

What jobs and careers emerge to replace some of those being automated away?

We Have Seen This Movie Before

Every major technology wave destroys some jobs while creating others.

The automobile reduced demand for blacksmiths, carriage makers, and stable hands.

It also created mechanics, highway engineers, gas stations, motels, delivery fleets, and entire industries that had never existed before.

The personal computer eliminated many clerical functions.

It also created software developers, network engineers, cybersecurity specialists, web designers, and IT departments.

The smartphone created app developers, ride-sharing drivers, social media managers, digital marketers, content creators, and businesses nobody imagined thirty years ago.

History suggests that technology does not simply eliminate work.

It changes the work.

The Challenge With AI

What makes AI different is that it affects thinking rather than muscle.

Many previous technologies automated physical labor.

AI is beginning to automate portions of knowledge work.

That makes predicting the future more difficult.

The jobs most at risk today tend to involve routine information processing:

• basic data entry
• simple customer support
• scheduling
• document preparation
• repetitive administrative work

But history suggests we are asking the wrong question.

The more interesting question may be:

What new work becomes possible because AI exists?

Personal AI Agents

Today we search for information ourselves.

Tomorrow we may manage teams of digital assistants.

Imagine every person having a personal AI agent capable of:

• scheduling appointments
• researching purchases
• planning travel
• comparing insurance options
• monitoring finances
• negotiating services

That creates entirely new opportunities.

People may become managers of digital workers rather than performers of repetitive tasks.

New careers may emerge around training, supervising, auditing, and coordinating AI agents.

AI Health Navigators

Healthcare continues to grow more complex.

Patients often struggle to understand diagnoses, treatment options, insurance requirements, and specialist referrals.

AI may become the first line of navigation.

But humans will still be needed.

New roles may emerge for professionals who combine healthcare knowledge with AI systems to help patients navigate increasingly complicated medical decisions.

Personalized Education

For centuries education has been delivered largely in groups.

One teacher.

Many students.

AI may eventually provide highly personalized instruction tailored to each learner’s pace, strengths, and weaknesses.

That does not eliminate teachers.

It changes their role.

Future educators may spend less time delivering lectures and more time mentoring, motivating, coaching, and guiding.

Robotics Coordinators

This is where my interest in robotics and drones comes into play.

As robots become more capable, someone must manage them.

Future businesses may operate fleets of robots the way companies currently manage fleets of vehicles.

New careers could include:

• robot fleet supervisors
• autonomous vehicle coordinators
• drone traffic managers
• robot maintenance specialists
• AI operations managers

The robots perform the tasks.

Humans manage the system.

Don’t Forget Entertainment

One lesson from previous technology waves is that people rarely use new technologies only for work.

Personal computers became gaming platforms.

The internet created online gaming communities.

Smartphones produced an entire industry of mobile games.

Today the global gaming industry generates hundreds of billions of dollars annually and supports millions of jobs ranging from developers and designers to streamers, broadcasters, and professional competitors.

Artificial intelligence is likely to create another wave.

AI-generated game worlds could adapt continuously to individual players. Virtual characters may become far more realistic and responsive. Storylines could evolve dynamically rather than following a fixed script.

The opportunities extend beyond software.

Drone racing already exists. Robotic competitions continue to expand. Future entertainment may involve coordinating swarms of drones, autonomous vehicles, robotic sports leagues, or entirely new forms of mixed physical and digital competition.

Many of the jobs created by AI may not involve increasing productivity at all.

Some may simply involve creating new ways for people to be entertained.

History suggests we should not underestimate that possibility.

Things We Cannot Yet See

This is where the Uber analogy becomes important.

Few people predicted Uber because they focused on the smartphone itself rather than what the smartphone enabled.

The same may be true of AI.

Today we are focused on chatbots.

That may be like looking at an early smartphone and concluding its primary purpose is making phone calls.

The real impact may come from businesses that have not yet been invented.

The next Uber may already be possible.

Consider how many businesses now depend on smartphones. Mobile banking, ride sharing, food delivery, navigation, social media influencers, and app-based services were not separate industries waiting to be discovered. They emerged because a new platform became available. Artificial intelligence may be creating a similar platform today. We can see the technology. We may not yet recognize the businesses that will be built on top of it.

Some New Jobs Are Already Appearing

Whenever a new technology emerges, people tend to focus on the jobs being lost.

The more interesting story is often the jobs being created.

Some AI-related roles barely existed a few years ago:

• AI workflow designers
• AI governance specialists
• AI auditors
• Digital twin managers
• Robot fleet supervisors
• Autonomous vehicle coordinators
• AI learning coaches
• Synthetic media creators

Most of these jobs are not replacing humans with machines. They are helping humans work with machines.

That pattern is surprisingly common throughout history.

The automobile did not eliminate transportation jobs.

It changed them.

The personal computer did not eliminate office work.

It transformed it.

AI may follow the same path.

The titles may change, but the need for people who can manage complexity, make judgments, and coordinate systems is unlikely to disappear.

The Jobs Nobody Can Name

If history is any guide, many of the most valuable jobs of the next twenty years probably do not have names yet.

Nobody in 1980 aspired to become a social media manager.

Nobody in 1990 planned a career as an app developer.

Nobody in 2000 expected to become a ride-share driver.

Technology creates opportunities first and job descriptions later.

While we cannot predict many of the future job titles, we can identify some of the skills that are likely to remain valuable:

• Managing systems
• Working with AI tools
• Critical thinking
• Creativity
• Human interaction
• Learning continuously

History also suggests that transitions are rarely painless. Some workers adapt quickly. Others struggle. Entire industries can decline before new opportunities become visible. The challenge is not simply creating new jobs. It is helping people move from the old ones to the new ones.

Looking Ahead

Artificial intelligence will almost certainly eliminate some jobs.

It will also change many others.

But if history teaches anything, it is that new technologies often create opportunities that are invisible at the beginning.

The automobile did not simply create better horses.

The smartphone did not simply create better telephones.

Likewise, AI may not simply create more efficient office workers.

It may create entirely new businesses, professions, and industries.

The next Uber probably does not exist yet.

That may be the most exciting part of the story.

Somewhere, someone is already experimenting with an idea that sounds impossible today. Twenty years from now it may seem obvious.

The question is not whether AI will create new industries.

The question is which ones.