Writing in The Guardian, Daniel Susskind identifies two futures for the professions, both of which rest upon technology. The first is a more efficient version of what exists today, with people using new systems to help them work in a traditional manner. But the second is markedly different – the introduction of increasingly capable systems that will entirely replace the work of traditional professionals. He claims that: ‘For now, these two futures will develop in parallel. But in the long run the second future will dominate. It will give rise to new ways of sharing expertise in society and will lead to the gradual dismantling of the traditional professions. This is where the latest evidence and thinking leads us.’

Embracing change

Mr Susskind believes that the purpose of the professions has been to enable people to solve problems that they are unable to solve themselves. But the traditional professions are ‘creaking’, he claims, giving the ‘woefully low’ access to affordable, good quality legal advice as an example. He concludes that if more affordable and accessible ways to solve these problems can be found through technology than face-to-face interaction, they should be embraced.