Gen Alpha won’t write emails when they join the workforce in 2030—research reveals they’ll sent voice notes to their boss instead

Emails, meticulously crafted with tone and spelling, may become relics of the past. The London School of Economics, in collaboration with audiovisual tech firm Jabra, has forecasted that by 2028, voice technology will dominate the future of work. Workers will increasingly converse with their devices rather than typing their thoughts.

"By the time Gen Alpha joins the workforce, AI will be fully integrated, and they'll converse before they ever type," Paul Sephton, Jabra's global head of brand communications, told Fortune. This means typing will be used for refinement rather than creation. "They'll talk to write, then type to refine," Sephton elaborated. "And they'll direct work, not just draft it.

Typing becomes editing, not thinking." This shift isn't a distant prediction; it's the immediate future of how Gen Alpha, born from 2010 onwards, will interface with AI. The shift towards voice technology is rooted in how humans naturally think: fast, iterative, and conversational. This efficiency and convenience of voice tech promise to enhance creativity and inclusivity, allowing workers to capture spontaneous ideas and accommodate those with busy hands.

However, while voice notes might become the primary input method, they'll likely be transcribed into text, maintaining the written record. This raises concerns about accountability and productivity. With voice notes, tracing back conversations can be challenging, and the ease of recording might lead to communication overload.