The Human Edge Book Summary - The Human Edge Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

The Human Edge summary

Greg Orme

How Curiosity and Creativity are Your Superpowers in the Digital Economy

4.5 (227 ratings)
23 mins

What is The Human Edge about?

The Human Edge (2019) is a guidebook to help you learn skills that will set you apart and safeguard your career in the digital economy. In a world where Artificial Intelligence can perform some tasks faster and more efficiently than we can, these blinks will show you how to develop your human superpowers and thrive in the workplace.

Table of Contents

    The Human Edge
    summarized in 8 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 8

    Artificial Intelligence can match some human mental skills, and as a result, do some of our jobs.

    Let’s step back in time for a moment.

    It’s the late eighteenth century and the nature of work is changing. Thanks to steam-powered machines, manufacturing is becoming faster, more efficient, and less reliant on manual labor.

    Today, nearly 250 years later, machines are once again changing the world. But this time, they’re not replacing our arms and legs.

    The key message here is: Artificial Intelligence can match some human mental skills, and as a result, do some of our jobs.

    Machines with logic and analytical skills, also known as Artificial Intelligence or AI, are everywhere. They’re in our smartphones, deciding which songs to play next. They’re in our homes, keeping a digital eye on what’s in our refrigerators and how clean our floors are.

    And they’re gaining a strong foothold in the workplace, too. Tech companies like Facebook and Google already rely heavily on AI, and other industries are next in line. The McKinsey Global Institute predicts that AI will transform fields such as marketing, sales, customer management, finance, and human resources. And according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan Management Review, 85 percent of companies believe that AI will help them succeed.

    However, this success comes at a cost. Just as machines took over from human factory workers years ago, AI is poised to take over certain jobs.

    In fact, this is already happening to routine tasks and roles. Think of the chatbots replacing customer care agents, and the self-driving cars that will make human taxi and truck drivers obsolete. Or consider AI that can filter through job applications or analyze blood and bone marrow for diseases. This advanced tech means that many new hires won’t need a desk in the open-plan office, just a bit of digital real estate in the cloud.

    So, just how many jobs will AI take from humans? Well, researchers from Oxford University, the World Economic Forum, and a number of consulting firms have predicted that between 14 and 47 percent of jobs will go to AI – and that’s just in the next 15 years!

    If these figures have you worried about your job prospects, then you’ll be relieved to learn that it is possible to future-proof your career. Sure, AI has come a long way, but it can’t outshine humans in every area. Knowing this is the first step in developing your edge.

    Want to see all full key ideas from The Human Edge?

    Key ideas in The Human Edge

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    Best quote from The Human Edge

    Curiosity compels us to pursue whats meat and drink for our mind.

    —Greg Orme
    example alt text

    About the Author

    Greg Orme is an acclaimed speaker and thought leader in the fields of creativity, innovation, and organizational change. He’s a program director at the London Business School and the founder of its Centre for Creative Business. Orme is also the author of The Spark: How to Ignite and Lead Business Creativity.

    Who should read The Human Edge?

    • People who want to future-proof their careers
    • Managers who want to upskill their staff
    • HR managers interested in how AI will impact work

    Categories with The Human Edge

    Books like The Human Edge

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    26 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial