The brand new jobs created by IoT

Beyond the needs identified so far, such as a data security specialist, data analyst or cloud-edge administrator, which are an extension of professions existing already, it was interesting for us to discuss the upcoming brand new jobs.

Those entirely new jobs are created by the explosion and democratization of IoT in all sectors of the economy and our lives.

Many examples come from an excellent and funny French book, by an incredibly talented foresight writer Anne-Caroline Paucot: Dico de métiers de demain (www.editionspropulseurs.com) (in French only).

Sensors cleaner

An arrival of all types of sensors (especially RFID) will create a smart waste, composed by forgotten, abandoned or broken sensors. This will be especially true in future smart cities. Beyond the environmental issue, health and privacy concerns will make it crucial to localise, identify the ownership and clean (remove) those ghost IoT sensors, particularly to prevent back door hacking.

IoT chatting regulator

Remember when in 2016 Google announced that 2 AI started to communicate in an unknown language (source)? The multiplication of “smart” IoTs and their interactions will create unexpected data generation and communications. So we are not talking here about an upcoming riot by IoT plotting against humans but rather avoiding non-desired actions or data uploading (which is a cost).

Data visual populariser

Enormous volumes of data generated by billions of IoT will have to, in order to be understood and useful, be popularised through clear and simple visualisation. This job is sitting between graphic design, data analytics and teaching skills.

Smart farming consultant

Farmers are conscious of what IoT can give them in terms of operational effectiveness. Nevertheless, the constant rise in complexity and interaction of different systems will require a high level of expertise. Smart farming has several components:

• animals health monitoring i.e. localizing
• farm security (against wild animals or robbers)
• connected tractors and agricultural machinery
• weather, water and soil monitoring
• a production forecast

Installing sensors in remote areas, their maintenance, their connectivity and integration into an all-in-one easy-to-use system consists in a very specialised mission.

Electronic fashion designer

Following connected wearables (watch and bracelet), IoT will integrate our clothes, directly into its conception. That’s already implemented by Levi’s (check out here a connected jacket in partnership with Google) and a lot of other brands (read more).

Beyond the gadgets, the fusion between clothes and IoT should bring more value than just making it easier with your clothes what you can do already with your phone, for example:

• a connected swimsuit that alerts on UV levels
• heating or breathing adjustable materials

In connection to this topic, we can mention two other opportunities:

• Clothes personalisation (personalised sizes, colours, patterns, options…) is a new concept by the fact that the pricing has to be accessible (contrary to the haute-couture).
• Chips integrated into clothes will, beyond their easy localisation, help create an automatic “digital wardrobe twin” and have a remote (or AI) personal stylist.

Drone traffic controller

As it is likely that the drone use will, finally, take a large part in goods (Amazon drone delivery) then human transportation, it is unlikely that this will be assumed by the flight controllers. First, because of drone circulation one stays away from airports for obvious security reasons. Second, a large number of drones circulating could not be taken care of.

It’s so probable to imagine a new kind of air-traffic controller, only for drones, assisted by the AI managing self-flying drones and under a new kind of public license or diploma.

Home devices coordinator

Even today and despite already confirmed market maturity, turning on home lights and music at the same time and with one command only requires side apps like IFTTT or Flic button.

Connecting different systems, for various use, from different generations, into an all-in-one home board, will require expertise and professional knowledge. A home device coordinator will need to closely monitor and organise home IoT new products and software, their communication protocols and coding skills.

Super grid system administrator

IoT is creating separate systems (street lighting, traffic monitoring, self-driving bus service…) which are connected in the super grid systems (in the near future managed by a co-production AI and humans). This super grid will be a digital twin of a city and linked to its authorities.

We can expect to have, among the team of a Mayor, a new kind of advisor, being the interface between the politics and the super grid, to help in public decisions and manage crises.

This job will require data analysis and political sciences background, as well as urbanism knowledge.

UI/UX industrial designer

Deployment of IoT along the factory assembly line makes it crucial to have an understandable and user-friendly monitoring tool. Especially if we want to reconvert — inside the company- the workers who are to lose their jobs in the field. We need a clear and usable tool that doesn’t require 1-year training but, on the contrary, will be a perfect addition to someone who’s worked 10 years in assembly line and knows the reality of the field.

The talent of UI/UX designers specialised in industrial digital twins in workforce reconversion, and in turn a real creation of value for the company and the society will be crucial.

This job will be at the crossroads of pedagogy, graphic design and frontend development.

An IoT “coroner”

It’s already started with surveillance cameras, credit card examination, but in the near future we will witness a new kind of juridic specialisation, IoT coroner. As a forensic pathologist examines a body in order to help the investigation, an IoT coroner will dissect all the data produced by IoT connected to a crime scene:

• self-driving vehicles in the area
• listening devices next to the scene (public and private)
• network accesses and IP address research

He/she will also be responsible for usability (data collected in the respect of the juridic procedure and so their admissibility in court) and reliability (making sure the data isn’t compromised by hackers).

Thus, beyond a legal and law background, an IoT coroner will need to follow a high-level training program in data security. There’s a likelihood that this job will be preceded by a new kind of competitive exam and oath of office.

You can read this paper on digital evidence to find out more.

To conclude, these entirely new jobs will always require several areas of expertise, which combine conceiving novel concepts. All these jobs are an excellent example of how the association between human, machine and data can create a new valuable profession.

About me // French Marketer who specialises in B2B tech and IoT. With the background of lobbying and over 10 years experience as creative director, I help IoT start-ups achieving stable growth, meaningful branding and long-lasting demand generation. More on www.dxm-agency.com