Despite Donald Trump’s invective against GM for closing some of its plants, the fact is that change is inevitable across all industries, especially in a world of nearly runaway technological advances. GM isn’t being mean or duplicitous, it is simply responding to reality. And if those of us in IT don’t like it, we have only ourselves to blame. After all, we’re the ones who keep coming up with new bells and whistles.
GM’s closure of certain plants reflects the company’s growing investment in AI, robotics, and electric and autonomous vehicle programs. The company intends to emphasize “virtual tools” to cut development time and costs. The goal is to bring higher quality products to market faster. And garner a larger share of the market, of course.
Mahmood Nanji, director of Western University’s Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management, commented that “more and more companies have been paying attention to the notion of a connected car.” He also noted that these changes in the auto industry are being made in response to customer demand. We want cars that drive themselves, notify us when a package is delivered to our front door, connect us to the Internet, make calls for us, remind us of upcoming appointments,…
Whether we admit it or not, we are all wedded to technology. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing for the workforce. GM and other companies recognize the need to “upskill” workers. Remember, change always brings a certain amount of chaos and unpredictability, but it also creates new opportunities. IT professionals who are well positioned to take advantage of those opportunities can look forward to a rosy future.
One thing is clear: Donald Trump’s obsession with returning America to the mid-20th century is never going to be realized – thanks to IT.