While headlines buzz with predictions about artificial intelligence transformation and quantum computing breakthroughs reshaping our world, a crucial question remains largely unaddressed: How do we prepare the world’s informal economies and developing regions for this technological tsunami? The stark reality is that our conversations about digital transformation and future readiness often overlook the most vulnerable segments of the global workforce.
The Reality on the Ground
Consider Dharavi, Mumbai’s manufacturing heart and one of Asia’s largest informal economic zones, where countless small-scale manufacturing units operate without basic amenities like running water. These micro-entrepreneurs and informal sector workers, skilled in traditional manufacturing techniques like metal casting, garment production, and leather tanning, represent a vital but often invisible segment of the global supply chain. Their reality stands in sharp contrast to the artificial intelligence laboratories and quantum computing facilities making headlines.
Similarly, in Lagos, Nigeria’s emerging tech hub, where students attend classes on floating platforms due to infrastructure limitations, the discussion about AI disruption takes on a different meaning. The World Economic Forum estimates that 14% of workers globally could face technology-related job displacement by 2030 – but what does this mean for these informal economies and emerging market workforces?
The Missing Link in Our Preparation
The current discourse around artificial intelligence implementation and quantum computing applications primarily focuses on high-skill sectors and formal economies. While we hear extensively about workforce upskilling programs in Silicon Valley or London’s financial district, there’s a conspicuous absence of concrete initiatives addressing how informal manufacturers in Dharavi or floating school students in Lagos should prepare for this future of work.
Three critical gaps need addressing:
- Contextual Skills Training and Digital Literacy: Instead of generic AI awareness programs, we need targeted workforce development initiatives that understand and build upon existing skills in informal economies. A leather craftsman in Dharavi might benefit more from learning how artificial intelligence can optimize inventory management or connect to global marketplaces than from coding bootcamps.
- Infrastructure Reality and Digital Inclusion: Before we talk about AI integration, we must acknowledge and address basic infrastructure gaps in developing regions. How do we make AI tools accessible in areas with intermittent electricity and limited internet connectivity?
- Preservation of Local Economic Ecosystems: The tight-knit community of informal manufacturers in places like Dharavi represents generations of accumulated knowledge and interdependent business relationships. Any technological transition must preserve these valuable networks while enhancing their capabilities through digital transformation.
The Way Forward
The fourth Industrial Revolution and emerging technologies present both challenges and opportunities for informal economies. Rather than viewing AI and quantum computing as distant threats, we need to:
- Develop localized digital skills training programs that bridge traditional manufacturing skills with new technologies
- Create simplified, accessible versions of AI tools that can operate in resource-constrained environments
- Establish community technology centers that can serve as hubs for digital literacy and skills development
- Focus on practical applications of artificial intelligence in informal sectors that solve immediate problems while building future readiness
The true measure of our success in managing technological disruption won’t be how well AI serves the developed world, but how effectively we include and prepare the global informal workforce for this transition. The future of work isn’t just about coding and robotics – it’s about ensuring that the craftspeople of Dharavi and the students of Lagos can participate in and benefit from the technological revolution on their own terms.
As we race toward an AI-driven future, let’s ensure we’re not leaving behind the very communities whose resilience and resourcefulness have long been the backbone of global manufacturing and trade.
Note: the original article was published on LinkedIn.
Reference
- The Economy of Tomorrow (2023) [Online video]. YouTube. Retrieved Noveber 5, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45an2jno5tg
- Fraser, A. (2022) Surviving in India’s Manufacturing Slums – An Unfiltered Documentary [Online video]. YouTube. Retrieved November 5, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_gJp2uAjO0
- (n.d.) Quantum Computers: The Future of Computing [Online video]. YouTube. Retrieved November 5, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J2B34c1ocY
