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The Robot Uprising? How Soon and Why.

Robots are increasingly taking over human jobs, but will it ever come to an end?

By Thomas SingletonPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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According to a recent study, robots are increasingly taking over jobs that have traditionally been done by humans. The study found that between 2001 and 2015, the number of jobs lost to robots increased by nearly 5 million. This trend is expected to continue, with an estimated 20 million jobs expected to be lost to robots by 2030. The study found that the jobs most at risk of being taken over by robots are those that are low-skill and low-wage. This includes jobs like assembly line work, data entry, and other repetitive tasks. As robots become more advanced, they are also beginning to take over jobs that require more skills, such as telemarketing and customer service.

This trend is having a major impact on the workforce. As jobs are lost to robots, workers are finding it increasingly difficult to find employment. This is leading to rising levels of unemployment and underemployment, as well as increased inequality. There are some benefits to this trend, however. As robots take over more jobs, it frees up humans to pursue other activities, such as creativity and problem-solving.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how society deals with artificial intelligence, but it will definitely be cool.”

— Colin Angle, iRobot CEO

Additionally, robots are often more efficient than humans, so they can help to increase productivity. Overall, the trend of robots taking human jobs is having a major impact on the economy and the workforce. It is important to monitor this trend and adapt to it in order to ensure that workers are able to find employment and that the economy continues to thrive.

If you didn’t already believe that people could lose jobs to robots — I think I can change your mind; the entire introduction of this article was written by an Artificial Intelligence with no human intervention other than the simple prompt that was required to start it up. The advanced AI wrote all 250 words above in a couple of milliseconds; far faster than even the most productive human writer.

“Some people worry that artificial intelligence will make us feel inferior, but then, anybody in his right mind should have an inferiority complex every time he looks at a flower.”

— Alan Kay, Computer Scientist

Writing isn’t all humans do however. Many are employed as cashiers, tradespeople, teachers, medical experts and first responders. Many of these jobs require extensive training, which can cost incredible amounts of money. With the technology we have available at this point in time, jobs that require extensive training could be automated, which would lead to cheaper prices and the ability for people to get jobs they otherwise wouldn’t be able to without the training. The cost of training a person can be incredibly high, sometimes up to 100 times what it costs to train an AI. If these jobs were automated there would be an incredible amount of money available that could help improve infrastructure or health care in a country. It would also make these jobs more accessible to those who may not otherwise have access as the training wouldn’t be necessary, for example people with disabilities or even locations where training is costly or simply not possible with current technology.

“I’m increasingly inclined to think that there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don’t do something very foolish. I mean with artificial intelligence we’re summoning the demon.”

— Elon Musk warned at MIT’s AeroAstro Centennial Symposium

There is no question that artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving and growing more sophisticated every day. With the rapid expansion of AI capabilities, many experts believe that AI will soon play a major role in helping humanity achieve unprecedented milestones. For example, AI could help us develop new and more effective treatments for diseases, end poverty and hunger, and even help us colonise other planets. The possibilities are truly endless. The key to making all of this happen will be collaboration between humans and AI. As AI continues to evolve, it will become increasingly important for humans to work hand-in-hand with AI in order to achieve these great things. Luckily, there are already many examples of successful human-AI collaboration, and this trend is only likely to continue in the future. So long as we continue to work together, there is no limit to what we can achieve.

“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race….It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.”

— Stephen Hawking told the BBC

It is also important to realise that there are a number of ethical implications of AI taking human jobs. One is that it could lead to increased inequality, as those who can afford to purchase and use AI will have an advantage over those who cannot. Another is that it could lead to a future in which humans are reliant on machines for their livelihoods, and this could have a number of negative consequences. For example…

  • It could lead to increased unemployment, as machines increasingly replace humans in the workforce.
  • It could lead to a future in which humans are slaves to machines, as we become reliant on them for our livelihoods.
  • It could lead to a loss of creativity and innovation, as humans are no longer needed to come up with new ideas or solutions.
  • It could lead to a future in which there is no longer any need for human interaction or empathy, as machines can provide everything we need.

In conclusion, it is clear to see that as technology improves and we continue to develop more advanced artificial intelligence, there will be a shift in the workforce that we will need to deal with. While this may have some negative impacts on the workforce, it will also have many benefits. As more jobs are taken over by AI, more people will be free to pursue other activities and interests, leading to increased creativity and innovation. Additionally, it will allow companies to undertake greater prospects that would otherwise be too expensive or not possible for them to pursue. Above all, it is imperative that the ethical implications of humans losing jobs to AI are addressed and required steps are taken to achieve a harmony between the machines and the humans.

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