Elon Musk says robots will be able to do everything better than humans. So, does that mean the future workforce will be entirely automated? A humanoid robot, which means it looks, it talks, and it even acts, well, like a human. So, does that mean it could take a human’s job like mine? There’s no denying robots and automation are increasingly part of our daily lives. Just look around the grocery store, or the highway. Or in the case of Robo Thespian here, even at the theater. The rise of robots has led to some pretty scary warnings about the future of work.
A recent study
found up to 670,000 U.S. jobs were lost to robots between 1990 and 2007 and
that number is likely to go up. A widely-cited study from 2013 found nearly
half of all jobs in the U.S. are in danger of being automated over the next 20 years.
Occupations that require repetitive and predictable tasks in transportation,
logistics and administrative support were especially high-risk. and just think,
robots don’t need health benefits, vacation or even sleep for that matter. But
the debate over whether robots will take over all of our jobs is by no means settled.
Many economists
argue automation will ultimately create new jobs. After all, someone has to
program the robots, right? Let’s go back to the 1850s, when trains were the
most popular mode of transportation. Chart shows the number of locomotive
engineers, railroad conductors and brakemen increasing by nearly 600%. But that
growth slowed in the early 1900s.Why? You guessed it. The automobile came along.
Car mechanic and repairman jobs surged even though railroad jobs began to disappear.
And some companies say the same thing will happen when robots move into the marketplace.
A survey of
20,000 employers from 42 countries found that the IT, customer service and
advanced manufacturing industries will add workers over the next two years as a
result of automation. It’s hard to imagine that robots could replicate human characteristics,
like empathy or compassion, that are required in many jobs. I mean, would you
really want a robot as your nurse, babysitter or teacher? But even if robots
don’t take our jobs entirely, research shows they will significantly change
day-to-day tasks in the workplace. This is particularly a problem for lower-skilled
workers who aren’t able to retrain for new jobs. They might get stuck with lower
wages in a world with more robots, and that could make income inequality even worse.
These guys are making a lot of things uncertain right now. But one thing that’s
clears skills training is required if we hope to get along with friends like them
in the workplace. I think we’re going to get along just fine.
Comments
Post a Comment