7 high-tech jobs to arrive in the near future, as envisioned by Cognizant

SINGAPORE (Oct 23): In Cognizant’s opinion, humans have never been more integral to the future of work – even as the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to change the global work environment.

The multinational IT corporation last year in November published 21 Jobs of the Future: A Guide to Getting and Staying Employed in the Next 10 Years, in which it proposed 21 new jobs that would emerge from a world of AI, automation, algorithms, bots and big data.

Following the success of the first report, Cognizant has recently released a second edition that proposes 21 more jobs that it believes will, in time, come to replace work that is currently being automated away.

A number of these roles are more tech-centric than others. Cognizant imagines these mid- to high-tech roles may very well become a reality within the next five years:

1. Cyber attack agent – A new type of cyber agent could emerge from the fourth industrial revolution, says Cognizant; one that is not only able to defend national infrastructure, but also undertake an offensive against the nation’s adversaries. This role will require an excellent track record of cyber hacking, “grey-hat focused” software development, or distributed denial of service (DoS) attack experience.

2. Voice UX designer – With more companies investing in ways to leverage voice as a platform as the next frontier of their digital customer engagement strategies, the emerging voice UX designer role is crucial in creating a set of diagnostic tools, algorithms, linguistic imprint protocols and refinement regimes to help individuals create their “perfect voice assistant”. Ideal candidates would have a linguistics degree and background in B2B UX design, and be skilled in visualising and improving conversational flow.

3. Smart home design manager – With the advent of smart home technology, architects are likely to seek smart home design managers who are able to work with both engineers and customers to design connected homes. These architecture-focused professionals should be able to stay up to date on the latest technological trends in the industry, and find novel ways of integrating such technology for maximum impact.

4. Algorithm bias auditor – Within companies compliance teams could emerge the function of algorithm bias audit (ABA) to ensure that the algorithms at the heart of AI are fair, legal and representative of an organisation’s values. ABA professionals should have experience in legal, compliance, technical, IT or executive management as well as a track record of managing senior personnel across multi-disciplinary business functions.

5. Cyber calamity forecaster – The primary task of such a role would be to monitor, detect and forecast cyberthreats, and predict their impact. This will also involve accurately mapping cyber uncertainties and making predictions to prepare for their occurrence, while providing analytical, advisory and technical expertise to issue cyber products, alert bulletins and forecasts. A Ph.D in science, math, statistics or a related discipline and 10 years of work experience in forecasting or planning are some of the desired qualifications for this role.

6. Virtual identity defender – In a world of fake news and fast-emerging new technologies, a virtual identity defender will lead the technical aspects of product development, liasing with product marketing teams to create customer and prospect feedback loops. Ideal candidates should have demonstrable experience with leading development teams in complex technical areas, and a proven track record working with recognisable brand-name companies.

7. Head of machine personality design – Leading a team in the field of digital marketing engineering, this role will help to give unique voices and characters to digital products or services to enhance customer interaction and create effective in-the-moment experiences. This involves generating personality prototypes that fit, while capturing the desires of clients and reconcile these with the aims of overall customer experience. A flair for brand marketing with excellent leadership and interpersonal skills are required to excel at this role.