One of the questions that comes up a lot in my line of work is what will people do when technology obviates the need for their jobs?
Two thoughts come to mind. First, these technological transitions take time. They can certainly take place over a person's lifetime, but they don't happen overnight. The writing will be on the wall before they take your job.
Second, we need to encourage a culture of lifetime learning. If you are constantly learning, you put yourself in a position to stay valuable and ride along with the changing winds.
David Brooks has an incredibly cogent take on how to succeed as technology continues to advance. I particularly like this bit.
"One of the oddities of collaboration is that tightly knit teams are not the most creative. Loosely bonded teams are, teams without a few domineering presences, teams that allow people to think alone before they share results with the group. So a manager who can organize a decentralized network around a clear question, without letting it dissipate or clump, will have enormous value."
